A long trip to love
by skullprincess120
Summary: Troy and Gabriella meet in college. One of them falls for the other, but the other isn't too sure. Will they ever get together or is Troyella just not meant to be? Some M-rated chapters. Read and Review :
1. Chapter 1

Troy Bolton was walking across the campus at NYU on his second week of college. He was waiting for basketball tryouts, which were to be held the next day, and was hoping that he would be captain even in college. He had been captain in his high school and he loved the sport. He had also been the most popular guy in school and here at NYU, he was nobody.

He went to the Science building. He was still new to the school and wanted to look around. He opened the door and came face to face with a brunette. Troy gave her a smile which she returned and waited until she was outside before entering the building. All of a sudden, he stopped. He looked back and saw the girl walking away from the building through a window. She looked familiar. He shook his head and ran out of the building again. He caught hold of her arm.

"Hey," Troy smiled.

"Hi," the girl smiled back.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" Troy asked. "You seem really familiar."

"I went to East High School with you," the girl replied. "I'm Gabriella Montez."

"Right," Troy said.

"You have no idea who I am, have you?" Gabriella smiled.

"I'm sorry," Troy said with an apologetic smile.

"It's okay," she shrugged. "Bye, Troy."

"Wait," Troy said as Gabriella turned to walk away. "Where are you going?"

"These books are really heavy," Gabriella said. "I'm going to put them into my dorm room."

"You need a hand?" Troy asked.

"Thanks," Gabriella smiled as Troy took some books from her.

"So, why did we never talk before?" Troy asked as he walked side-by-side to Gabriella towards the direction of her dorm.

"Because, you were the basketball captain," Gabriella said. "And, I was basically what you would call a nerd."

"You aren't a nerd," Troy laughed. "You are way too pretty to be a nerd."

Gabriella smiled at him.

"So, do you want to hang out with me?" Troy asked. "Are you doing anything right now?"

"No," she replied.

"Want to get something to eat?" he asked.

"Troy," Gabriella hesitated.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"This is my dorm," Gabriella said.

"I'll wait for you?" Troy asked.

"Okay," Gabriella said after hesitating again.

A few minutes later, Gabriella appeared again after keeping the books in her dorm.

"So, where are we going?" Gabriella asked.

"Shall we go to that pizza place around the corner?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shrugged and followed Troy. They went to the pizza place together. Like a gentleman, Troy opened the door for Gabriella. They ordered their pizza and waited.

"So, where's your girlfriend?" Gabriella asked Troy.

"You mean Sharpay Evans?" Troy asked. "We broke up a few days after graduation. She was too clingy and got mad when I said that I was not going to U of A with her."

"So, you're single?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah," Troy shrugged. "Why?"

"No reason," she replied.

Troy shrugged. They ate their pizza talking about random things. Gabriella told Troy about how her father had died when she was a kid and about how her mother had raised her by herself. She asked Troy about his family and he just told her that his father was the basketball coach at East High. Troy changed the subject after that and Gabriella did not question him anymore. They hung out together for the rest of the day. When it started to get dark, they went back to the campus. Troy walked Gabriella to her dorm.

"Bye, Troy," Gabriella smiled.

Troy smiled at her. Gabriella turned to enter the dorm. She opened the door when Troy grabbed her other hand. She turned and he pulled her towards him.

"It's pretty much a rule to end each date with a kiss," Troy said.

Before Gabriella could even protest, Troy's lips were against hers. Gabriella came back to her senses and she broke the kiss. She stepped away from him hurriedly.

"What's wrong?" Troy asked.

"I should have told you this before," Gabriella said. "I have a boyfriend."

"What?" Troy asked, surprised. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know," Gabriella replied. "I'm sorry. But, make no mistake, this was not a date."

Gabriella turned to enter the dorm again.

"Who is it?" Troy asked.

"What?" Gabriella asked.

"Who's your boyfriend?" he asked.

"You hate him," Gabriella said. "He was the football captain at East High – Lucas Bennet."

"Oh," Troy said. "Well, then, this was not a date and I'm sorry for kissing you. I'll see you later."

"Bye," Gabriella said as Troy turned away to leave.

Troy just raised his hand in response. Gabriella watched as he stuck both hands into his pockets and disappeared into the shadows.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Hey guys. Thanks for the reviews but I've got to say I was expecting a bit more for this story because I've been working hard on this. But maybe as the story continues, hopefully you guys will like it and I'll get more reviews. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter as well :) Read and review! :)**

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><p>The next morning, Gabriella walked out of the library and smacked into someone. She stumbled backwards and almost fell, but, the person steadied her. She looked to see Troy smiling down at her.<p>

"Sorry," he said. "I'm in a bit of a hurry."

"What's the rush?" she asked.

"Basketball tryouts," he replied. "I'll see you later."

"Let me know how it goes," Gabriella smiled.

Troy gave her another quick smile and ran towards the gym.

Basketball tryouts went well. He was the last one called to tryout. He stood nervously in front of the hoop. They were supposed to make fifteen baskets in a row. There was one boy called Justin Jackson who made thirteen baskets, but all the others made less than ten.

Everyone could see the coach getting impatient.

"Bolton, you may begin," the coach said.

Troy nodded. He dribbled for a minute and then he went for it. One after the other, the balls went through the net. He made fourteen baskets in a row. He paused for a minute before throwing the ball. It went through. The coach gave him a nod as he went back to his spot on the line. All the seniors who were on the basketball team were also grinning. Troy showed no emotion on his face.

The coach went to a discussion with the seniors. Then, he turned to face the students who had tried out.

"The students joining out basketball team this year are Justin Jackson, Max Kent, Kyle Scott, Kevin Stewart and Troy Bolton," Coach Buckley said. "Congratulations. Hit the showers!"

After taking a shower, he walked out of the gym. He spotted a familiar brunette disappear into a classroom and followed her. The classroom was empty except for Gabriella and the teacher.

"Sorry," Troy told the teacher. "I wanted to talk to Gabriella. I'll wait outside."

A few minutes later, Gabriella came out of the classroom. Troy was leaning against the wall with his leg propped up against it.

"What's up, Troy?" she asked.

"I made the team," Troy said, with a grin.

"Congratulations," Gabriella smiled.

Troy looked at her. Then, he saw it. Her eyes were not sparkling the way it had been the day before. Something was bothering her.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," she answered as they walked down the hall together.

"I'm not an idiot, Ella," Troy said, making up a new nick name for her. "Something's bothering you. Talk to me."

"I haven't heard from Lucas since I got here," Gabriella explained. "I'm worried. He promised that he'd call and he usually keeps his promises."

"Um…maybe he's just been busy," Troy said. "Since it's the second week of college and everything and I'm pretty sure he's going to be busy training for football tryouts, too."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Gabriella said.

"Don't worry, Ella," Troy said, with a smile. "He'll call."

"How can you be so sure?" Gabriella asked.

"Honestly, I'm not," Troy said. "But, that's what you wanted to hear, right?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm sorry," Troy said holding up his hands. "I just…I don't know Lucas very well to tell you whether he's going to call you or not."

"Yeah, well," Gabriella said. "Nothing I can do about it."

"Did you try calling him?" he asked.

"Yeah, I did," she replied. "I called a couple of times, actually. I got the voice mail each time. So, I left him some messages."

"He'll call," Troy told her. "And, if he doesn't, he's a loser."

"Oh, well," Gabriella shrugged. "I'll see you later, Troy."

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Nowhere," she replied.

"Can I go to nowhere with you?" Troy asked.

Gabriella laughed, "Sure, come on."

The two wandered around the campus together. They ended up going to the pizza place again. They ate pizza and was about to leave, when Gabriella's cell phone rang.

"It's Lucas," she smiled glancing at the Caller ID.

"See, I told you that he'll call," Troy said, smiling to see her so happy. "Answer it."

"Hello?" Gabriella said into the phone. "Luke, where've you been? I haven't heard from you in a while."

Troy did not hear what Lucas said, but, Gabriella frowned after a while.

"Lucas, I can't hear you properly," Gabriella said. "Is that a _girl_ there with you?"

Troy looked up when he heard this. Gabriella saw him looking and got up. She walked out of the pizza place and stood outside. Troy gestured the waiter and he brought the check. He paid for the pizza quickly and walked out of the pizza place just as Gabriella hung up.

"Sorry about that," Troy said. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"It's okay," Gabriella shrugged.

"So, is everything okay?" he asked.

"I don't know," she replied. "Come on. We have to pay for the pizza."

"I already did," Troy said.

"Okay," she shrugged. "How much do I owe you?"

"You don't owe me anything," he told her firmly. "It was my treat. "

"Well, thanks," Gabriella said.

"You know, Ella," Troy said, suddenly after walking in silence for a while. "You can talk to me about anything, okay?"

"Thanks, Troy," Gabriella smiled. "The same goes for you."

They walked towards Gabriella's dorm in silence. Gabriella turned to face Troy before she entered.

"Thank you," she smiled. "Thank you for everything."

"It's no problem," Troy smiled.

Gabriella smiled at Troy. She gave him a quick hug and rushed into the dorm leaving Troy standing on the steps with the most astonished look on his face.


	3. Chapter 3

Gabriella had just finished packing her duffel bag for the trip back home to Albuquerque for the midterm break when she heard a knock on the door. She opened it and saw her friend Sara Whiteman standing outside.

"Troy's here to see you, again," she said with a smile. "What's going on between you two?"

"Nothing," Gabriella insisted turning red. "We're just friends."

"Right," Sara rolled her eyes. "Is that why you always blush when someone says his name? Or is that why you spend more time talking about him than about your boyfriend? Or maybe it's because you spend each night on the phone with him instead of with Lucas!"

Gabriella did not answer. She loved Lucas a lot, but, recently she had realized that she also had feelings for Troy. She did not know what to do about it. It was all just too confusing.

Gabriella grinned at Sara and hurried downstairs. Troy was waiting outside the dorm.

"Hey, Troy, what's up?" she asked.

"They haven't fixed it yet," Troy said.

"Huh?" Gabriella asked confused.

"Your car," Troy explained. "Remember how you asked me to pick it up? I went to the garage and it's not done yet."

"What?" Gabriella asked. "Then, how do I get home?"

Gabriella's shoulders slumped as she sat down on the steps. Troy sat down next to her.

"I can give you a ride," Troy offered.

"Are you serious?" she asked and he nodded. She threw her arms around him. "Thank you!"

"So, are you ready to leave?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll just get my bag," Gabriella said.

Troy nodded and Gabriella disappeared into the dorm. A few minutes later, she dragged her bag out. It was way too heavy for her to carry.

"I'm ready," Gabriella said.

"You need a hand?" Troy asked.

"I'm good," Gabriella said.

Troy shrugged and hopped off the steps. Gabriella followed, dragging her duffel bag behind her. Troy watched with an amused smile as it flopped onto the ground after hitting each step. He chuckled and grabbed the bag and threw it over his shoulder as if it weighed nothing. Gabriella watched in amazement as he carried it to his car. She followed him. He opened the passenger seat's door for her and she got in. then, Troy got in himself and started the car.

Not long after Troy had begun driving, Gabriella fell asleep. He drove all day. It was almost midnight when they arrived in Albuquerque. By then, Gabriella was awake. She was trying to reach Lucas, but, it kept going to his answering machine. Gabriella told Troy where her house was and he drove there. He carried her bag to the house. Gabriella rang the doorbell. Her mother, Maria Montez opened it.

"Gabi!" Maria exclaimed hugging her daughter. "I'm so glad to see you."

"Hey, mom," Gabriella smiled returning the hug. "Um…this is Troy Bolton. He gave me a ride since my car's broken."

"Hi, Troy," Maria nodded.

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Montez," Troy said, with a smile.

Maria shook the hand he offered wondering why Lucas was not more polite like Troy.

"Oh, Troy," Gabriella said, realizing that Troy was still holding her bag. "You can put that down here."

"Okay," Troy said putting down the bag in the hallway. "Well, then, I'll see you later, Ella. Bye, Ms. Montez."

"Goodnight, Troy," Maria smiled.

"Bye, Troy," Gabriella said giving Troy a quick hug. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Troy nodded and headed back to his own car. He drove home. He was greeted by hugs from his mother and his father.

"Where's Michael?" he asked.

"He's asleep," Lucille Bolton answered. "Why don't you see him tomorrow?"

"I won't wake him up," Troy said and hurried upstairs.

He opened his brother's room and walked in. He sat on the chair next to the bed and stared at his sleeping brother. Michael had got into a hit-and-run accident three months ago. It was right after he had received his license. After the accident, Michael recovered physically, but, not mentally. Physically, he was a seventeen year old boy, but, mentally he was just a toddler.

Troy sighed as he watched Michael sleep. He missed his brother. He had been very close to Michael and after the accident, it seemed like he had lost his best friend. None of his friends knew about this. Michael had met with the accident a few days before Troy left to college. So, no one knew about Michael and since, Troy did not want anyone to feel sorry for him, he did not tell anyone.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Troy woke up with a jump when he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in," he called with his eyes still closed.

He was lying on his stomach with his hand and leg dangling from the side of the bed. He was not wearing a shirt and was just wearing his shorts.

"Morning, sleepyhead," a familiar voice said.

Troy rolled over and fell off the bed in surprise. He stared at Gabriella.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I came to see you?"Gabriella replied uncertainly.

"Okay," Troy said. "You stay here, okay? Don't leave the room. Just stay here. I'll just wash my face. Stay here, okay?"

"Okay," Gabriella said, slowly.

Troy grabbed a shirt and hurried into the bathroom. He did not want Gabriella to meet Michael before he had introduced them. He splashed some water onto his face.

Back in the room…

The door opened and Michael walked into the room. Gabriella, who was sitting on Troy's bed turned and gave him a smile.

"Hey, you must be Troy's brother," she smiled.

"Ta!" Michael exclaimed.

"What?" Gabriella looked confused.

"Ta, Troy," Michael said.

Troy, who was still in the bathroom heard this and rushed out. His face was still wet.

"Michael!" he exclaimed. "How are you, buddy? Been a good boy while I was away?"

"Ball!" Michael said as Troy gave his brother a hug.

"Okay," Troy said. "I'll play with you later, okay? But, right now, I need you to play on your own, okay?"

Michael did not say anything. He left the room. Troy shut the door. He did not look at Gabriella in the eye as he grabbed his towel and wiped his face. Gabriella's eyes followed his every move.

"Troy?" she said uncertainly.

"He got into a hit-and-run accident a few weeks before we started college," Troy said, answering Gabriella's unasked question. "He thinks he's a toddler."

"Troy," Gabriella gasped as he sat down next to her. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," Troy muttered. "You're the first one to know about all this. I mean, other than our family and relatives and some of my parents' friends."

"I'm glad you told me," Gabriella said, with a small smile.

"Me, too," Troy said, softly.

All of a sudden, he found himself leaning towards Gabriella. Their lips were inches away from each other when they heard a knock on the door.

"Troy," Jack Bolton called. "Are you coming for breakfast?'

"In a minute," Troy called.

"I just stopped by before going over to Lucas's house," Gabriella said, awkwardly.

"Yeah," Troy said jumping up from the bed. "Thanks for stopping by."

Gabriella followed Troy downstairs.

"Mom, dad, this is Gabriella," Troy said introducing Gabriella to his parents. "Ella, this is my mom and dad."

"It's nice to meet you," Gabriella said with a smile.

"Would you like to stay for breakfast, Gabriella?" Jack asked.

"No, thanks," Gabriella smiled. "I have to go. Bye, Michael."

"Mike, say bye to Gabriella," Lucille said and Michael waved.

Troy followed Gabriella to the door.

"Hey, there's this really cool beach party today," Troy said. "Chad sent me a text at around three in the morning."

"Yeah, I heard about it," Gabriella said. "I'll be there."

"Good," Troy said. "And, I know that you're with Lucas, but, save me a dance?"

"Of course," she smiled.

"Great," Troy grinned. "I'll see you then."

Gabriella nodded and left.

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><p><strong>AN Thanks for the reviews :) Keep reading for more drama :) And keep the reviews coming please :)**


	5. Chapter 5

That evening, around sunset, Troy spotted Gabriella walking over to him at the beach party. He had noticed her dancing with Lucas for a while, but, then Lucas had disappeared.

"Hey, have you seen Lucas?" she asked.

"No," Troy said. "But, how about that dance?"

Gabriella smiled and grabbed Troy's hand. They went into the middle of the crowd and started dancing together. Over Gabriella's shoulder, Troy suddenly saw Lucas in a heated make out session with a redheaded girl. Gabriella saw him staring.

"What are you looking at?" she asked and turned.

"No!" Troy exclaimed but, Gabriella had already seen Lucas.

She walked over to him silently. Troy followed. He watched as Gabriella tapped Lucas's shoulder.

"What are you doing?" she asked when he turned to face her.

"Uh…I've been meaning to tell you, Gabriella," Lucas said slowly. "I have a new girlfriend, now."

Gabriella stared at Lucas in surprise. She had no idea what to do or say. Troy saw Lucas smirk and unable to control his anger, he strode towards Lucas and before he could do anything, Troy had slammed his fist into Lucas's mouth. Lucas grabbed his jaw as Troy glared at him.

"What is wrong with you?" the redhead asked him.

"Stay away from, Gabriella," he said to Lucas.

Troy put an arm around Gabriella and led her away from Lucas. She did not say anything.

"I'm sorry," he told her.

"You shouldn't have done that," Gabriella said. "You shouldn't have hit him like that. Don't ever hit him again!"

"He was cheating on you!" Troy said.

"So, what's it to you?" Gabriella asked.

"Gabriella, I love you!" Troy exclaimed.

"What?" Gabriella gasped.

"I'm sorry," Troy said. "Forget I said that. You and Lucas just ended things, and…oh, just forget that I said it."

Gabriella looked confused.

"I'm going to find some ice," Troy said. "My hand hurts a bit."

"Sea water is way better than ice for that," Gabriella said. "Come on."

Gabriella took Troy's hand and led him towards the water. She kicked off her sandals and Troy kicked off his shoes. They went ankle-deep into the water. They knelt down and Gabriella pushed Troy's hand under the water. Troy flexed his fingers. The pain disappeared after a while.

"Do you want to go home?" Troy asked Gabriella. "I can give you a ride."

"Sure," Gabriella said.

"My car's over there," Troy said pointing to the cars parked. "I'll just tell Chad that I'm leaving."

When Troy went to his car, Gabriella was sitting on the hood. Troy heard someone laugh and saw Lucas and the redhead in a distance. Gabriella had heard them, too, but, they had not seen Troy or Gabriella. Gabriella was staring at their direction. Troy saw this. He knew that Gabriella would not want to be caught staring at Lucas.

"Ella, let's get out of here," he told her softly.

She did not move. She kept on staring at the dark.

"Ella, let's just go," he said taking her hand.

Troy saw their shadows getting closer. He did not know what else to do, so, he did the first thing that popped into his mind. He kissed her gently, at first and as he heard the footsteps get closer, he kissed her with more pressure. He placed his hands on either side of her on the car and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed back, hesitantly at first and then she became more confident.

"Oh, get a room!" the redhead called and Gabriella and Troy broke apart.

They stayed in their positions, but, they turned their heads to look at Lucas and the redhead. Lucas was glaring at Troy.

"What the hell are you doing, Bolton?" he yelled. "That's my girlfriend."

"I thought she was your girlfriend," Troy said, gesturing towards the redhead.

"She's not my girlfriend," Lucas said. "Gabriella is my girlfriend."

Troy glanced at Gabriella. She did not say anything and she did not meet his eye, either. Troy knew what she wanted.

"You want to be with him, right?" he asked her softly and she gave a small nod.

Troy sighed. He moved away from the car and Gabriella slid off the hood. The redhead realized what was happening. She kicked some dirt at Lucas who ignored her and stormed off back towards the party. Troy watched as Gabriella walked over to Lucas and kissed him.

Unable to look at Lucas and Gabriella anymore, he got into his car and drove home.

Gabriella found her mind drifting off to Troy as she kissed Lucas.

"Gabriella, I am so sorry," Lucas said. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Ella."

"Don't call me that," she said. "Don't call me 'Ella'."

Only Troy got to call her Ella. Lucas nodded. He took her hand and squeezed it.

"Come on, I'll take you home," Lucas said.

Gabriella got into the car with Lucas. She did not really trust Lucas after what had happened at the party, but, she wanted to be with him. Or at least, she thought she did. When Lucas drove her home, she pretended to go inside, but, once the car was out of sight, she practically ran to Troy's house. She rang the doorbell. Troy opened it.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, coldly.

"Why are you mad at me?" she asked.

"Troy, who's at the door?" they heard Lucille called.

"It's Gabriella," Troy called back. "I'll be back in a bit, okay?"

"Okay," Lucille called back.

"Come on," Troy said to Gabriella taking her hand and leading her to his car. "We are not having this conversation in a place where my parents can hear us."

Troy drove to East High School. He entered the school by using his dad's keys. Gabriella followed. They went to the gym. Troy grabbed a ball and threw the ball at the hoop. It did not even touch the ring as it went through.

"Troy, will you answer my question, now?" Gabriella asked. "Why are you mad at me?"

"Why did you go with him?" Troy asked her.

"I asked you first," Gabriella said.

"I'm mad at you because you went with Lucas," Troy snapped. "Why did you go with him?"

"Because," Gabriella began and stopped.

"Because what?" Troy asked shooting again.

"Because, he's my boyfriend," Gabriella said.

"Ella, what kind of a boyfriend makes out with other girls?" Troy asked.

"I don't know," Gabriella said.

"Look, if he can make out with other girls, you should be able to make out with other guys," Troy said. "But, you won't. Because, you're too good, Ella. You'll feel guilty. But, Lucas doesn't give a damn about what he does to you when he makes out with others."

Troy dropped the ball and strode towards Gabriella. He kissed her gently on the lips.

"Ella, you can't tell me that you don't have some kind of feelings for me," he said, softly. "You may not love me, but, you like me right? I mean, not in just friends way."

"I…I don't know," Gabriella said.

Troy sighed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had fallen for Gabriella harder than he had ever fallen for any other girl. He felt her lips against his and opened his eyes. Gabriella was kissing him. He broke the kiss and raised an eyebrow at her.

"You're right," she shrugged. "If Lucas can make out with other girls, I can make out with you."

Troy did not know what to say. Gabriella kissed him again. Bewildered, Troy kissed back. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Troy backed towards the bleachers and fell back. He felt her nails dig through his shirt into his back. Then, they were under his shirt, running down his well-toned chest to his boxers. When Gabriella's hands hit his belt, he felt a bulge in his pants. Gabriella, who was sitting on his crotch, pretended that she had not felt it. She pulled at his shirt and they broke their kiss long enough for Troy to pull the shirt off. Gabriella covered his chest with butterfly kisses. Troy felt another bulge in his pants. Once again, Gabriella pretended not to notice. She started kissing his neck. Troy was too surprised to do anything for a minute, but, then, he jumped up. He expected Gabriella to get off him, but, she did not let go of him. She continued to straddle him.

"Ella," he gasped as she bit onto his skin gently. "You have to stop!"

"Why?" Gabriella asked, with her lips against his skin.

"Because," Troy said, struggling to breathe evenly as he sat back down. Gabriella's hands went down to belt and undid the buckle. "If you don't stop, I won't be able to control myself."

"I want you to let go, Troy," Gabriella said, seductively into his ear. "Do whatever you want with me. I'm yours tonight."

That was all Troy needed to hear. His hand slid under her dress and undid her bra. He pulled off her dress and then her bra. The bulge in his pants was too obvious for Gabriella to ignore. She smirked at him as he stood up. He walked to the locker room. Gabriella's hand slid down beneath his boxers and grasped his cock. Troy groaned as she started pumping her hand up and down. Just as he was about to cum, she removed her hand and slid down from him and Troy cursed in frustration. She undid his pants and slid them down leaving him in his boxers. She stroked his cock through his boxers as Troy grabbed her breasts and fondled with it. Then, he pulled down her panties leaving her fully naked. Gabriella pushed down his boxers and Troy groaned when his erection was finally set free. Gabriella stared at Troy in surprise.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"You're so big," she said still staring at his cock. "Lucas was like half your size."

Troy smirked at him as she stroked his cock, gently. Finally, he pulled her towards him and lifted her up. He sat on the bench and Gabriella sank onto his erection. Gabriella moaned loudly. She started grinding on him. Troy got up when he noticed the mirror through the open door to the locker room. He pushed her against it and she gasped when the cold glass touched her skin.

"You're so beautiful," he mumbled as he thrust into her as hard as he could.

"Troy," Gabriella shrieked as she came.

Troy continued to thrust into her till he came and Gabriella came with him for the second time.

"That was awesome," Gabriella gasped as she tried to catch her breath.

"Better than Lucas?" Troy asked, not moving from inside her.

"Hell lot better," Gabriella answered.

They stared at each other for a moment, before Troy kissed her again. He started moving in and out of her again and this time, Gabriella reached her peak too quickly. So did Troy. He pulled out of her and she stood up on the ground. Troy had his arms on the wall from either side of Gabriella. He was staring at her intently. Gabriella felt her cheeks growing warm.

"We better get out of here before someone sees us," she whispered and ducked from underneath Troy's arms and went to put on her clothes.

Troy dropped his head and stared at the ground. He did not point out that it was nearly midnight and no one was in the school. He shook his head slightly and went to get his own clothes. They did not say anything to each other as they got dressed.

"Wait," Troy said as Gabriella headed towards the exit. "Why don't we look around for a bit? There's a place I want to show you. I wanted to show it to Sharpay when we were here, but, I knew that she wasn't the one for me, so I didn't bother."

"Troy, I can't," Gabriella said. "I just had sex with you. Isn't that enough?"

"I thought you belonged to me tonight," Troy said with a smirk. "I remember you telling me that you wanted me to let go and I could have my way with you."

Gabriella blushed and Troy grabbed her hand. He took her through the hallway and opened a yellow door that said 'No admittance'. He waited for Gabriella to enter it and then shut the door behind him. He followed her up the stairs. Gabriella stared at the rooftop garden in amazement.

"How come I never knew about this?" Gabriella asked spinning around.

"Having my dad as the basketball coach did have its advantages," Troy smiled.

Gabriella laughed and ran around the roof with her arms open wide. Troy smiled at how free she felt. She was about to run past him when he caught her in his arms.

"Dance with me," Troy said.

Gabriella stared at him as he placed his hand on her waist and took her hand in his.

"There's no music," she pointed out.

"I don't care," he said. "We don't need music. Now, come on. You have to put your hand on my shoulder."

Gabriella placed her hand on his shoulder hesitantly. They waltzed around the roof and Gabriella remembered how she had leant to waltz from her father. Her eyes filled with sadness at the memory. Troy noticed.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I miss my dad," she said softly.

"I'm really sorry about that, Ella," he told her.

She just shrugged and leant against his chest. They continued to dance together.

"Do you have a bucket list, Troy?" she asked suddenly.

"What's a bucket list?" Troy asked.

"A list of things that you want to do," she answered.

"Oh," Troy said. "I don't have one. Do you?"

"Yeah," Gabriella said.

"What's in it?" Troy asked.

"If I tell you, would you make one and tell me what's in it?" she asked.

Troy nodded. Gabriella let go of him and went to sit on the bench.

"There are three things which I want to do," she said. "First, I want to have sex in the rain."

Troy raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. She blushed and looked away.

"Then, I want to get a tattoo," she went on. "And, last, I want to go to Hawaii and learn to surf."

"Cool," Troy said. "You should sign up for the holiday trip to Hawaii, then. It's a school trip for those who can buy the ticket. I decided to go. But, once we get there, we're free to do whatever we want. If you go, I can teach you how to surf."

"That'd be pretty cool," Gabriella said, with a smile.

"And, I think you'd be able to have sex in the rain tonight," Troy said pointing to the sky which was covered in dark clouds. "And you can also get a tattoo if you want. My friend owns a place for stuff like that."

"I've always wanted to try all that, but, I never had the guts to do it," she said. "I could've had sex in the rain with Lucas if I'd told him about my bucket list, but, I was too shy to do that."

"Why'd you tell me then?" he asked. "You've known Lucas longer."

"I know," Gabriella shrugged. "But, Lucas and I never talk the way we do. It's like; I don't even know what he likes. I mean, I don't even know his favourite colour or anything."

"Do you know my favourite colour?" Troy asked. "I know that yours is purple."

"Your favourite colour is red," she answered.

"Ella, I need you to answer this honestly," Troy said. "Do you have any feelings for me?"

"Yes," Gabriella said, softly as a rain droplet fell onto her hand.

They both looked down at it. It started drizzling.

"Let's do the first thing on your bucket list," Troy whispered.

He leaned over and captured her lips in his. Gabriella pulled away for a second.

"You'll make a bucket list and tell me what's on it, right?" she said.

"Yeah, of course," Troy smiled.

Gabriella smiled and kissed him again. Troy broke their kiss and he took his shirt off. Gabriella took off her dress as well. Their lips met again and Troy's hands worked expertly to undo Gabriella's bra. He slid it off her shoulders as the rain got heavier. Gabriella's hands flew to Troy's belt and undid the buckle quickly. She pushed down his pants and boxers when they stood up from the bench. Troy pushed down her panties as well. Their lips broke contact for a minute.

Troy stared at her for a moment with a smile and then he knelt down to the floor pulling her down with him. She lay on the ground and he lay above her with his weight on his hands. He slid smoothly into her and Gabriella wrapped her legs around his waist making him go deeper. Troy kissed her neck as he started moving in and out of her. Her fingernails dug into his back as her climax neared.

"Troy!" she shrieked as she came.

A few seconds later, Troy came, too. He fell against her. Then, he pulled out of her and they lay on their backs panting to catch their breath.

"That was bloody brilliant," Troy said when he caught his breath.

"You can say that again," Gabriella grinned.

The two got dressed. With their clothes dripping wet, they finally headed towards the school's exit. They were about to get into Troy's car when Gabriella's cell phone rang. She glanced at the Caller ID. It was Lucas. She glanced at Troy awkwardly and he rolled his eyes. He got into the car with jealousy burning in his stomach.

"What's up, Lucas?" Gabriella asked.

"What are you doing right now?" Lucas asked. "Are you busy?"

"No, why?" she asked.

"I need you to meet me at the Robinson Restaurant, in ten minutes," Lucas replied. "I'll see you there."

Confused, Gabriella stared at the phone when Lucas hung up. She got into the car with Troy.

"I need to go home," she said. "Lucas wants to meet me at the Robinson Restaurant."

"Fine," Troy muttered.

Troy drove Gabriella home. He waited outside in his car, drumming the wheel with his fingers until she appeared again. This time, she had changed out of her wet clothes and was dressed in a purple mini dress.

"You look nice," Troy said.

"You didn't have to wait for me," Gabriella said. "And, thanks."

"You're welcome," Troy shrugged.

Troy drove her to the restaurant. He stopped outside and she went in. he drove home alone. His family was fast asleep by the time he went home. So, he headed out again and drove to Gabriella's house. He parked the car a few houses from Gabriella's home and waited. He wanted to talk to Gabriella when she returned from her date.

Two hours later, Lucas's car came down the road. Troy, who had been dozing off, sat up. He watched as Gabriella got out of the car. She waved to Lucas till he disappeared around the corner. Troy jumped out of his car and jogged towards Gabriella. She looked surprised to see him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"What did he want?" Troy asked.

Gabriella held up her hand which now supported a ruby ring. Troy raised an eyebrow.

"He proposed to you?" Troy asked, disbelievingly and Gabriella nodded. "And, you said yes?"

"I did," Gabriella answered.

"Why?" Troy asked. "What about what we had? What about all that happened tonight? You're just going to throw it all away?"

"I told Lucas about what happened tonight," Gabriella said. "He was okay with it as long as I don't do it again. Just deal with it, Troy. I'm with Lucas. I don't care how much you say you love me, but, the thing is, I don't love you, Troy. I love Lucas. Not you."

"But, you said you had feelings for me?" Troy said, softly.

"I do have feelings for you," Gabriella answered. "But, not the same kind you have for me."

"Fine," Troy sighed. "Marry him. Maybe, I'll see you around."

"Troy, don't be mad," Gabriella said.

"I'm the one for you, Gabriella Montez," Troy declared. "And, someday, you're going to realize that."

With that, Troy turned and walked away from Gabriella. Gabriella had been sure that this was what she wanted when Lucas had proposed to her, but, now, seeing Troy, made her doubt that she had made the right choice.

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><p><strong>AN I'm glad you all like the story so far :) Keep the reviews coming :) **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Thanks for all the reviews :) Hope you like this one as well. Read and Review! :)**

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><p>Troy and Gabriella grew apart after that. Gabriella had planned on marrying Lucas the coming summer. Troy heard about this, and he could not even bear to think about it. He knew deep down that he would never get over Gabriella. He also knew that Lucas would be cheating on her, but, he did not want to tell Gabriella this because he knew that it would make her mad at him.<p>

Summer arrived. Troy and Gabriella went back to Albuquerque. Troy had to drive past Gabriella's home to get to his own. He saw Gabriella jump out of her car and run into Lucas's arms. He rolled his eyes and headed home.

"Hey, I'm home," Troy called walking into the house.

His family did not appear. He saw a note on the kitchen table. It said:

'_Troy, we're so sorry that we're not here to welcome you, but, this morning, Michael got into an accident. We're at the hospital. We'll see you soon, Troy._'

Troy's felt sick as he read the note again. He ran outside and got into his car. Without even glancing back, he started backing out of the driveway. He slammed on the brakes when he heard a horn. He got out of his car again and saw Gabriella glaring at him. Her car was blocking his way.

"What the hell is your problem?" she asked.

"I'm sorry," Troy said. "I'm in a hurry."

"Off to meet some slutty girlfriend?" Gabriella smirked.

"No," Troy said, calmly. "My brother got into an accident and my family is at the hospital. I have to go, so, if you could move your car out of the way."

"Oh, Troy, I'm so sorry," Gabriella said.

"Just move your car," he snapped. "And, I don't want to talk to you, alright? So, just get out of here."

"Fine," Gabriella said.

She got into her car and drove off. Troy stared after her for a minute before getting into his own car and driving to the hospital. When Troy walked into the waiting room, he saw that his mother was crying and that his father was trying not to cry. He hurried over to them.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Michael Bolton was caught in a car accident," the doctor explained to Troy when neither Jack nor Lucille spoke. "He had hit his head and there were a lot of other severe injuries. We did surgery, but, he slipped into a coma and we're not sure about when he is going to wake up, that is, if he is going to wake up."

"Wait," Troy said. "Michael might die?"

The doctor nodded. Troy stared at his parents for confirmation and Jack nodded.

"How did he get into an accident in the first place?" Troy asked.

"It was my fault," Lucille said, through her tears. "I was supposed to be watching him and the phone rang and I didn't know that the door was open. He went out and then I heard him cry and a crash and…"

Lucille's voice trailed away as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. Troy did not know what to say. He turned and strode away. He opened the door to the exit and bumped into Gabriella.

"What? Are you stalking me now?" he snapped at her.

"I care about Michael," Gabriella said. "I came to see him."

"How can you care about him?" Troy asked. "You only met him once."

"I still care about him," Gabriella said following Troy outside. "Where is he?"

"He's in a coma," Troy whispered. "The doctors aren't sure about whether he's going to wake up."

That's when Gabriella really looked at Troy. She did not see the person that she thought hated her. Instead, she saw a nineteen-year-old boy who was missing his brother and was trying not to cry.

"Troy," she whispered.

Gabriella stepped towards Troy and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Troy hugged back as a tear rolled down his cheek.

"What the hell is going on?" a voice exclaimed.

The two broke their hug to see Lucas glaring at them.

"That's my fiancée you bastard!" Lucas yelled at Troy.

Troy neither said nor did anything. He stood there as Lucas punched his eye. He did nothing in self-defense.

"Lucas, stop it!" Gabriella exclaimed.

Lucas glared at Gabriella and walked back to his car. He got in. Gabriella hurried over to Troy.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "Why didn't you do anything? That's not like you."

"You told me never to hit him again," Troy said.

Gabriella stared after Troy as he got into his car and drove off.


	7. Chapter 7

Three weeks later, Troy received an invitation to Gabriella's wedding. As soon as he got it, he went to the stove and burnt the invitation. Lucille stared in amazement.

"What did you do that for?" she asked.

"I'm not going to the wedding," Troy said.

"Do you want to talk about what's been bugging you since the last time you were home?" Lucille asked. "You're starting to worry me."

"I thought Gabriella and I had something special," Troy explained. "I told her that I loved her. and, we even sort of got together, but, that was while she was still with Lucas so I guess that doesn't count, but, the point is, that same night we sort of got together, she went and got herself engaged to that…that idiot!"

"Look, Troy," Lucille said. "I know you're mad at Gabriella, but, you two weren't really together. She was with Lucas. You knew that very well. And, well, you might have told her that you loved her, but, if she didn't love you, she wouldn't have said it, Troy. It's not her fault that she doesn't feel the same way that you feel about her."

Troy groaned and banged his head on the kitchen counter.

"I think you should go and apologize to Gabriella and patch things up with her," Lucille said. "You might think that she's a bad person, but, she isn't. I'm guessing she is really confused right now."

Troy stared at his mother as she walked out of the kitchen. He grabbed his car keys and ran out to his car. He sped over to Gabriella's house and rang the doorbell. Gabriella opened it.

"Troy," she said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry," Troy said. "I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry that I just stopped talking to you. It wasn't fair for me to do that to you when you were just being honest to me about your feelings. So, you don't feel the same way I feel about you, and that's okay, Ella. I just want you back in my life in some way. You were like my best friend before and I really miss that girl. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Gabriella said. "I'm sorry, too."

Gabriella gave Troy a hug. She invited him into the house, but, he saw Lucas at the kitchen and left again.

Two weeks later…

Gabriella opened the door to Lucas's house and froze in surprise at what she saw. Lucas was in a heavy make out session with the redhead.

"Lucas!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing? You never stopped seeing her?"

"I'm sorry," Lucas said. "But, she's just…she's just there all the time, even when I'm in college."

"Lucas, you proposed to me," Gabriella said, angrily. "You proposed to me and you gave me a ring!"

"I…I was going to tell you, Gabriella," Lucas said.

"When?" Gabriella asked. "The invitations have already been sent. When were you going to tell me? Were you waiting to tell me at the ceremony when we had to say our vows?"

Lucas opened his mouth to say something, but, Gabriella pulled off her ring and threw it at him. It hit his forehead.

"Just forget it!" she exclaimed.

"It's not like this is my entire fault," Lucas said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Gabriella asked.

"Admit it," Lucas said. "You like Bolton."

"Even if I did like him, I'm not cheating on you," Gabriella said.

"You slept with him," Lucas said.

"That was one time," Gabriella said. "And you slept with this slut like a hundred times, didn't you? I haven't spoken properly to Troy until two weeks ago after I slept with him last time we were in Albuquerque."

With that, Gabriella turned and stormed out of the house. Once inside her car, she started crying. She stayed there for about ten minutes until she finally got herself under control. Then, she headed towards Troy's house. Troy had told her to enter the house without knocking if the door was unlocked, so she walked into the house.

"Troy?" she called.

She walked into the living room and saw Troy making out with a blonde girl. Troy's shirt was off and his hand was underneath the blonde's shirt. Gabriella did not know what to do. Neither Troy nor the blonde had seen or noticed her. She ran out of the house slamming the door behind her. She felt tears flow down her cheeks. She did not know which hurt most. Was it seeing Lucas with the redhead or Troy with the blonde?

The front door opened and Troy ran out. He was pulling on his shirt as he went. He had heard the door slam shut.

"Ella, what are you doing here?" he asked. Then, he noticed the tears. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"Lucas was still cheating on me with the same redhead," Gabriella said as she wiped away her tears.

"I'm sorry, Ella," Troy said, softly giving Gabriella a hug.

"What was that back there?" Gabriella asked pulling away from Troy. "Who were you making out with? Why were you kissing her?"

"Am I not allowed to date anyone?" Troy asked.

"You said you loved me," Gabriella pointed out.

"I know," Troy said. "But, what's the point of waiting around for someone if she's engaged?"

"You knew that I would be here at some point," Gabriella said as more tears rolled down her cheek. "You knew that Lucas would be cheating on me. You knew it, Troy!"

"You were engaged to him, Gabriella!" Troy yelled.

Gabriella did not know what to say. She ran to her car and got in. Troy stood by the edge of the road watching as the car disappeared around the corner.

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><p><strong>AN Hope you liked the chapter :) Reviews are always welcome! **


	8. Chapter 8

Two nights later, Chad threw a party. Troy and the blonde went to the party, together. They were busy making out at the corner of the crowded living room to notice anything else.

"Oh, get a room," they heard a voice mutter and they broke apart.

"What do you want, Gabriella?" Troy asked.

"Nothing," Gabriella said. "It's just impolite to make out while other people are here."

"Gabriella, look around," Troy said. "It's the sort of party where you get drunk and have hook up, alright? Get with it!"

"You're not like all these other guys here," Gabriella said.

The blonde stared at Troy as he stepped towards Gabriella.

"Do you even care about me, Troy?" Gabriella asked.

"Gabriella, stop it!" he exclaimed. "He cheated on you, but, that doesn't give you the right to come and ruin my relationships. All that mattered to me is that I told you that I loved you and we even had sex and that same night, you go and get yourself engaged to Lucas! How was I supposed to feel, Gabriella? Was I supposed to wait around for you to realize that Lucas was a jackass? And, in case you didn't notice, I waited, Gabriella. I did not date anyone since the last time we were in Albuquerque. But, all that time, you were too blind to see who Lucas really was. You loved him!"

Gabriella turned and ran out of the room. Troy guessed that she had gone outside. He sighed and raked his hair with his fingers.

"Go to her," the blonde girl said. "You love her, Troy and you want to be with her. Go to her. I won't be mad."

"Thanks, Amanda," Troy smiled. "You really are the best."

Amanda gave a small smile before she walked away. Troy rushed out of the house. He saw Gabriella get into her car and drive away. He got into his own car and followed. Gabriella stopped at the beach. Troy got out and followed her to the shore.

"Will you stop following me?" Gabriella asked.

"I'm sorry," Troy said.

"You don't have to be sorry," Gabriella said, turning to face him as he came and stood by her. "I have to apologize to you for acting like such a jerk. I'm sorry."

Troy stared at her. He pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. Gabriella looked up at him. She leaned closer to him. She stood on her toes and kissed his lips gently.

"I…I love you, Troy," she whispered. "I'm sorry it took me so long to realize it, but, I love you. I get it. You're with the blonde girl, now."

"Amanda," Troy said, feeling dazed. "Her name's Amanda."

"I hope you and Amanda are happy together," Gabriella said.

Gabriella turned to walk away. Troy grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Ella, do you honestly think that I'd be here now if I'm dating Amanda?" he asked with an amused smile.

"You're not dating her?" Gabriella asked.

"I'm not," Troy confirmed. "In fact, she told me to go after you."

"She did?" Gabriella looked surprised.

"She did," Troy repeated.

They stared at each other for a moment. Then, Gabriella turned away.

"First, I want to play for the LA Lakers," Troy said, suddenly. "Then, I want to show the whole world that you belong with me. And, last, I want to get married and start a family with you."

"What are you talking about?" Gabriella asked in surprise.

"That's what's on my bucket list," Troy replied.

Gabriella gave Troy a small smile.

"You're just saying that, Troy," she said softly. "Besides, a bucket list is supposed to have stuff which is unlike you and it's obvious you'd want to play basketball. I'll see you around."

Gabriella turned and walked away.

"And to answer your question," Troy called, suddenly. "I care about you Gabriella. I care about you more than I care about anything or anyone in the world."

Gabriella turned when she heard this.

"Troy, if you cared about me you'd never have let me go to Lucas like that," Gabriella said, softly. "You wouldn't have been making out with Amanda."

"Ella, what are you talking about?" Troy asked holding up his arms. "I care about you, Ella. Honestly, I do."

"I just…I don't want to get hurt again, Troy," Gabriella said as the tears she had been trying to hold back started to fall. "I'm sorry."

"Ella, come on," Troy said. "We can do this."

"I heard you were transferring schools," Gabriella said. "Was it to get away from me? How are we going to do this if we're miles apart?"

"No, Ella," Troy said. "That's because I need to be close to my family. I need to be here so that I can come home anytime I want. I need to be with my family because of what has happened to Michael. If anything happens to him, and I'm not here…"

Troy's voice trailed away at that thought.

"Fine," Gabriella said. "I believe that. But, I'm also transferring Troy."

"What? Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm going to Stanford," she replied. "And, you know, it is to get away from you. I'm going there so I'll be a thousand miles away from you."

Troy froze at what she said. His hurt was etched across his face and Gabriella immediately regretted saying it.

"I didn't mean it like that, Troy," Gabriella said.

"It's pretty clear what you meant," Troy said and headed towards his car.

"No, Troy," Gabriella said. "I just meant that if I go to Stanford I'll be away from you as well as from Lucas. I can start over, Troy. No one there will know me. There won't be any guys to hurt me. I need to do this."

"Ella, I'm not going to hurt you!" Troy yelled. "I'll never hurt you. You ought to know that."

"Seeing you with Amanda hurt me a lot, Troy," Gabriella cried. "How am I to believe that you will never hurt me again after that?"

"Because you're supposed to trust me," Troy said. "And, besides, you were engaged to Lucas and I didn't know that the engagement was off until you came to see me this afternoon."

"But, tonight you knew that Lucas and I had broken up," she said. "I can't do this, Troy."

"Ella, what the hell is wrong with you?" Troy asked. "You just told me that you loved me and now you're telling me that you can't do this? What the hell is that?"

"I don't know, Troy," Gabriella said.

"Okay," Troy said, as he calmed down, again. "I get it. You're confused right now, so, find me when you get things straightened out."

Gabriella stared after Troy as he got into his car and drove away. She fell onto her knees and started crying.

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><p><strong>AN Sorry about the late update. Hope you enjoyed this chapter :) Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

Summer ended and semester began again. Troy neither heard nor saw Gabriella again. He had tried calling her, but, she would not answer the phone. When he went by her house her mother always told him that Gabriella was either not in or was asleep. Finally, he had got fed up with things and had stopped trying to get Gabriella back in his life again. Michael's condition also had not changed. He was still in a coma. Troy visited every weekend.

Christmas holidays came and by then, Troy had a girlfriend. He and Amanda had patched things up and got together. However, Amanda knew that Troy was still very much in love with Gabriella and she was okay with that.

The day before Christmas, Troy was lying at home reading a comic book. He had heard that Gabriella was back in Albuquerque and he did not want to go outside in case he saw her again. Amanda was also with Troy.

All of a sudden, the quiet was interrupted when Troy's cell phone started ringing. Troy saw that it was his dad and answered it.

"What's up, dad?" he asked.

"Troy," his father's voice was troubled. "You need to come to the hospital, now."

"I'm on my way," Troy said realizing that something was wrong.

Troy ran out to his car with Amanda running after him.

"Troy, what's wrong?" she asked.

"I don't know," Troy said. "My dad said that I needed to go to the hospital."

Troy drove to the hospital with Amanda. He rushed into the hospital and into the waiting room.

"What happened?" Troy asked Jack. "Is Michael okay?"

"He's dead, Troy," Jack said, softly.

Lucille was crying her eyes out. Troy froze when he heard this. He felt a small hand on his shoulder and realized that it was Amanda. He ignored it and walked away from his parents to the corner of the room. Amanda went to him and sat down next to him. She slipped her hand through his arm. Troy shook it away.

"Troy," Amanda began.

"Just…just leave me alone, Amanda," Troy sighed.

"Troy," Amanda said again. "I love you, but, I can't do this with you. Whether Gabriella loves you or not…I don't know that. But, I know that you love her. You won't let me in, Troy. You'll only let her in. and, I thought I could handle all that, but, I can't. I'm done, Troy. I'm sorry to do this now with everything going on with you, but I just can't handle any of it anymore."

Amanda got up. Troy took her hand and she looked down at him.

"I'm sorry, Amanda," Troy whispered. "You deserve better."

Amanda just nodded. She left the hospital. She took a cab to Gabriella's house.

"Hi," Amanda said when Gabriella opened the door.

"Amanda, right?" Gabriella said. "What are you doing here?"

"It's Troy," Amanda replied. "His brother just died and he's sort of gone into this quiet mode thing. I'm not sure how to explain it. It's like he has built a wall and I can't break it down. You can. All I know is that you're the only one he'll open up to, so, if you could just go to the hospital…"

Amanda's voice trailed away as Gabriella stared into the distance. Thinking that what she had done was completely useless, she walked away.

A few minutes later, Troy felt a hand slip through his arm. His face was buried in his arms and he did not look. He thought that it was Amanda.

"I'm so sorry, Troy," he heard Gabriella whisper.

Troy looked up and saw Gabriella sitting next to him. Her eyes were watery. Troy shook his head meaning that it was okay, but, Gabriella took it to mean that he did not want her there. She got up immediately and walked away.

"Ella, wait," Troy called getting up.

Troy's voice was low, but, Gabriella heard him. She turned and hurried back towards him.

"Thank you," Troy said, softly.

"I'm here for you, Troy," Gabriella said.

Gabriella hugged him and Troy hugged back, tightly. Troy was holding Gabriella tightly, making it hard for her to breathe. Tears he had tried to hold back flowed down his cheeks freely as he let out his emotions.

"I'm sorry, Troy," she said, as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm really sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry about Michael, Troy. I'm sorry for not returning your calls and not seeing you and I'm sorry for not believing you when you said you wouldn't hurt me. I love you, Troy."

Troy did not say anything. His grip on Gabriella tightened as he hugged her close to him.

"Do you want to go and see him?" Gabriella asked.

Troy let go of Gabriella, wiping away his tears as he did so. He wiped away Gabriella's tears with his thumb and kissed her forehead.

"Thank you," he whispered, again.

"You're welcome," she said taking his hand.

Troy led her towards Michael's room. Gabriella watched as Troy went and sat down on the chair next to Michael's bed. He stayed there without saying anything. He just stared at Michael and then after a few minutes, he got up. He shook his head at Gabriella and walked out of the room. He headed towards the exit. Gabriella followed, running to keep up with his long strides.

''Troy, where are you going?" she called once they were outside.

Troy stopped when he realized that she was coming after him. He stopped so suddenly that Gabriella smacked into him. She almost fell over, but, Troy turned and steadied her quickly.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Gabriella answered, quickly.

Troy nodded. He got into his car. Gabriella got into the passenger seat, quickly. He drove aimlessly for about an hour before he stopped at the beach. The whole ride had been quiet. Troy got out of the car. He kicked off his shoes and tossed them into his car. Gabriella watched as Troy stripped down to his boxers. He tossed his clothes into his car with his shoes and walked towards the ocean.

"He's crazy!" Gabriella muttered.

Although it was not snowing in Albuquerque, the evening wind was chilly. Gabriella stared as Troy waded into the sea. She rubbed her arms to get herself warm. After what seemed like hours – although it was just a few minutes later – Troy walked onto the shore again. Gabriella hurried towards him.

"Troy, what the hell was that?" she exclaimed.

She took his arm and shivered when she felt how cold he was. Troy noticed this and pulled his arm away.

"My jacket's in the car," he said.

Gabriella nodded. She rushed to the car and took out Troy's jacket and hurried back to him. He met her halfway there. He took the jacket from her. Gabriella was surprised when he wrapped it around her shoulders instead of on his own. He opened the door to his car and pulled on his jeans and shirt. They both got into his car and Troy drove home.

Troy stood in front of the fire trying to get warm. Meanwhile, Gabriella went upstairs and got a blanket. She handed it to Troy who gave her a small smile in thanks. She went to the kitchen and after a few minutes, she returned with two cups of steaming hot chocolate. She placed them on the coffee table and then, took Troy's hand. He was still standing in front of the fire. She led him to the couch and they sat down. She gave him a mug and took a sip from the other mug. Troy wrapped the blanket around both of them. They stayed in silence as they finished their hot chocolates. Gabriella took Troy's cup and was about to get up to go to the kitchen when Troy put an arm around her.

"Just leave them here," he said.

Gabriella looked at him. She placed the two cups on the coffee table again. Troy wrapped the blanket even more tightly around them so that Gabriella was closer to him. He lay down on the couch pulling Gabriella on top of him. He stroked her shoulders and she fell asleep.

"I love you, too, Ella," he whispered as he watched her sleep.

He stayed awake the whole night watching Gabriella sleep and thinking about Michael. His parents came and neither one of them said a word when they saw Gabriella asleep on top of Troy. In fact, they did not say anything at all. Lucille was still wiping away tears as Jack did his best to comfort her.

When Gabriella woke up, she did not move at first. She did not even open her eye. When she opened her eyes, she realized where she was. She sat up quickly as she remembered what had happened the previous night. She looked to see if Troy was still there and…

"Enjoy sitting on my crotch?" Troy asked with a small smirk.

Gabriella realized where she was sitting and jumped up.

"Did I stay here the whole night?" she asked.

"Yeah," Troy said. "Merry Christmas, by the way."

"Oh, no," Gabriella said. "I have to go. My mom will be freaking out."

"Wait," Troy said. "I'll drive you home."

Gabriella hesitated.

"Wait a second," Troy said seeing her hesitation. "You're not seeing anyone right now, are you?"

"I'm not dating anyone, Troy," Gabriella confirmed.

"Then, I'm driving you home," Troy said. "It's the least I can do for you after all you've done for me last night."

Finally, Gabriella nodded. Troy drove her home. She invited him in.

"Where have you been, Gabriella?" Maria demanded to know as soon as Gabriella entered the living room.

"I spent the night at Troy's," Gabriella explained.

"What were you doing there?" Maria exclaimed.

"Mom," Gabriella said. "Keep your voice down. He's in the hallway. I invited him here. His brother died last night after being in a coma since last summer and he was upset. Nothing happened between us last night, mom. I mean, I told him that I loved him, but, he didn't say anything back. I don't blame him. He told me that he loved me twice before and _I_ didn't say anything. And I guess my timing wasn't too good last night either, but, he needs me right now, mom. I can't leave him like that. He may not look it, but, he's a mess."

"Okay, Gabriella," Maria smiled. "Invite him in."

"Troy," Gabriella called walking out to the hallway. "Come on."

Troy followed Gabriella to the living room. Maria gave him a warm smile.

"Merry Christmas, Troy," Maria smiled.

"Merry Christmas," he replied.

"Gabi, your aunt sent a gift from England," Maria said handing a parcel to Gabriella.

"Oh, thanks," Gabriella smiled.

"She's like a little kid at Christmas," Maria told Troy.

"Oh, mom," Gabriella groaned. "I am not."

"No worries, Ella," Troy said with a smile. "Everyone feels like a kid in Christmas."

"I've got some cookies in the oven," Maria said. "I'll go and get them."

"Thanks, mom," Gabriella smiled just as Troy's cell phone started ringing.

Troy answered the phone. It was his mother. They wanted him to go home because the funeral was to be held in an hour. They had decided that they wanted it over as soon as possible. Troy hung up and stared numbly at the phone. Gabriella noticed and was immediately by his side. She placed her hand on his arm.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Who was it?"

"Is everything okay?" Maria asked walking into the room with some cookies before Troy could answer.

"I have to go," Troy said. "Thanks for everything you've done for me, Ella."

"Troy, wait," Gabriella called hurrying after him towards the door. "Where are you going?"

"The funeral's in an hour," Troy said. "My mom wants me home."

"I'll go to the funeral with you," Gabriella said, immediately.

"Ella, you've done more than enough for me already," Troy said.

"I'm going with you, Troy," Gabriella said, firmly.

"I'll pick you up in about an hour then," Troy sighed.

Troy turned the handle on the door, but, Gabriella took his arm. Troy turned and before he could say anything, Gabriella had kissed him. He was too surprised to kiss back. Gabriella pulled away, quickly, disappointed when he did not respond. His cell phone started ringing. He looked at the Caller ID and saw that it was his dad.

"Ella, we really need to talk," Troy said. "But, I also have to go, now. So, we'll talk later, okay?"

"Troy, I'm sorry," Gabriella sighed. "I shouldn't have done that. I just…I love you and I want you to know that. You have far too much on your mind without me making things more complicated. I won't do anything like that again."

"Wait, what?" Troy asked as his cell phone started ringing again. He answered it. "Dad, I'll be there in a couple of minutes, okay?"

Troy hung up and stared at Gabriella. He placed both hands on her shoulders.

"You might complicate things in my life now and then, Ella," Troy said. "But, I like the way you complicate things. Your kisses are pretty _amazing_ and if you don't do anything like that again, I'm not sure what I'm going to do."

Gabriella stared at Troy in surprise. He gave her a small smile and kissed her forehead before he headed outside.

An hour later, Troy was back at Gabriella's house. He was dressed in a black suit. He rang the doorbell and Gabriella opened it. She was wearing a black dress which reached above her knees.

"Hey, Troy," she gave him a warm smile. "My mom's coming with us. Will that be okay?"

"Sure," Troy shrugged.

Maria appeared and the three headed to Troy's car. Troy drove to the cemetery. His parents and relatives were already there. Troy went and stood beside his father. His mother was next to his father. Gabriella and Maria stood a little way behind them. Unable to keep herself away from Troy when she knew that it was all killing him inside, she hurried over to him. She slipped her hand through his arm. Troy did not look at her. He stared straight ahead at the coffin. Gabriella leaned against his shoulder, letting him know that she was there for him. He intertwined his fingers with hers and squeezed her hand and Gabriella understood that he was thanking her.

Even when the funeral was over, Troy did not let go of Gabriella's hand. His relatives came up to him telling them how sorry they were. He just nodded and said thanks to all of them almost instinctively. Troy saw his parents gesturing him to come over to them. They were talking to Maria. Troy and Gabriella hurried over to them.

"We're going home, now," Jack said. "Are you coming with us?"

"I'd rather hang out with Gabriella for a while," Troy answered.

"Should we be expecting you at home?" Jack asked with a small smirk.

"Dad, I'll be home in a while," Troy said rolling his eyes.

"Would you like to come with us, Maria?" Lucille asked.

"If it's not too much trouble," Maria answered.

"You might as well start coming over now," Jack said. "You'll be here more often when Troy and Gabriella comes and tells us that they're getting married."

"Dad," Troy groaned. "Gabriella's not even my girlfriend."

"Not yet, she isn't," Jack said.

"Dad!" Troy exclaimed. "You shouldn't embarrass me like that, especially not when Gabriella is here."

"Exactly what I wanted to hear," Jack said. "You like her, Troy, and now, even Gabriella knows it."

"Fine, I love her, dad!" Troy exclaimed holding up his hands as Lucille and Maria got into the car. "But, she's not going to be my girlfriend. Was that what you wanted to hear?"

"We'll see you at home, Troy," Jack said getting into the car after Lucille. "And, I'm sure Gabriella's wondering why she can't be your girlfriend if you love her."

"Gabriella," Troy muttered and turned to face her. "Oh, shit!"

Gabriella raised an eyebrow at her. From the corner of his eyes, Troy could see his uncle approaching him.

"That's my uncle and I do _not_ want to talk to him right now, so will you please help me?" he asked Gabriella desperately.

Gabriella grabbed Troy's hand and led him to his car. Then, she pushed him against the car and kissed him gently as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Troy's hands went down to her waist as he pulled her close to him. Her kiss was comforting him and he didn't want her to stop. They broke apart for air and Troy saw that her eyes were still closed and knew that she had liked the kiss as much as he had. Troy saw that his uncle had already left, but that did not mean that he was going to stop kissing Gabriella. He turned around with her so that it was Gabriella who was leaning against the car this time. He kissed her again and she kissed back. Troy's hands were on the car, trapping her from moving away. Gabriella's hand slid down his chest. This was one of Troy's major weaknesses and he felt a bulge in his pants. Gabriella felt it too because it was pressed against her leg. She pulled apart from him and raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry," Troy said, sheepishly. "I can't help it. You do that to me."

"We can't exactly do anything here," Gabriella said.

"Come on," Troy said, opening the car door for her and she got in.

He went to the beach again. He was about to get out when Gabriella grabbed his hand. He turned to face her and she kissed him. She unbuckled her seatbelt and moved over so that she was sitting on his lap.

"I want you, Troy," she told him.

"We shouldn't do this, Ella," Troy said as she started unbuttoning his shirt.

"I don't care," Gabriella said.

She unbuckled his belt and slid her hand into his boxers. That was all it took and Troy was kissing her again.

"No foreplay, Troy," Gabriella moaned as he moved to kiss her neck. "I need you, _now_!"

Troy just lifted up Gabriella's dress and removed her panties. She pulled out his cock from his boxers and lifted herself up and slid down onto it. Gabriella grinded on him and they came way too quickly. They got dressed and got out. Troy kicked off his sneakers as Gabriella took off her heels. He held her hand out to her and she took it.

"Troy," Gabriella said. "I know I told you that I'd be there for you, but, if you are planning on going swimming again, I am _not_ going with you."

Troy chuckled softly.

"This is the place where I first told you that I loved you," Troy said. "We were at Chad's beach party, remember? And, you told me that you loved me last summer, here, too."

"Okay," Gabriella said slowly as she rubbed her arms trying to get warm. "Is this going anywhere? Because, I'm really cold and like an idiot I left my jacket at home. So, I really want to get back into your car again."

"Here," Troy said pulling off his coat and wrapping it around Gabriella's shoulders.

"Thanks," Gabriella smiled.

"Ella," Troy began and then he stopped.

"Troy, just tell me what it is that you want to tell me," Gabriella said.

"I love you, Ella," he said, softly, as he placed his hand on her cheek. "I love you more than you'll ever know."

Gabriella stared at Troy for a moment and then, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. Troy kissed back for a minute and then pulled away suddenly. Gabriella looked at him, confusedly.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"There's something I need to tell you," Troy said. "I haven't spoken to my parents about this yet but, they'll be okay with it."

"What are you talking about?" Gabriella asked.

"I…I don't think I'm going to go back to school," Troy said.

"What?" Gabriella asked. "Then, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Troy said. "I was thinking about going on a tour through Europe. It's something Michael and I had planned on doing right before his accident. We had planned on going when Michael graduated from East High and he's supposed to be graduated now. But, you can see that things didn't go according to plan. Instead of being in Paris or Italy, Michael's lying in a coffin!"

"Troy, calm down," Gabriella said, softly.

"I'm sorry, Ella," Troy said looking at her. "I don't think I can do this, right now."

"Troy," Gabriella said. "Don't say that, please. I love you, Troy. I need you."

"I love you, too, Ella," Troy whispered softly.

"I can talk to my mom," Gabriella went on, hurriedly. "Maybe I can go with you. I mean, I can always take some online classes or something and join college again when we're back or–"

"No!" Troy interrupted sharply and Gabriella fell silent. He sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say it like that. It's just…I love you, Ella. And it would be awesome if you could come with me, but, I need you to stay here. You have a great future for you, Ella. You can't just throw it away."

"Troy," Gabriella said. "You don't get it! My future's with you."

"No," Troy shook his head. "Don't say that, Ella. You deserve much better. You deserve someone who'd stay with you all the time."

"Troy," Gabriella began.

She did not have the chance to go any further because Troy's lips were suddenly on hers. He pulled back just as suddenly. Gabriella looked at him and realized that he had already made up his mind. Her eyes filled with tears. She turned away hoping that Troy would not notice but, he already saw them. He put his arms around her and hugged her as she cried into his chest.

"Troy, just let me go with you," she said through her tears.

"I don't want you to throw away your future just because of me," he said.

"I won't be throwing it away, Troy," Gabriella said. "I told you. You're my future, Troy."

"No, I'm not, Ella," Troy said.

Gabriella looked at him. He wiped away her tears with his thumb. She looked down at their feet. She pulled away from their grasp.

"Ella, I'm sorry," Troy said softly.

"Let's just go," Gabriella sighed. "Your parents will be waiting. My mom would be waiting for me, too."

She took off Troy's coat and gave it to him. He did not take it.

"Keep it," he said. "At least until we get home. You'll be cold."

Gabriella did not say anything. She just pushed the coat into Troy's hands. Troy's hand went to her shoulders automatically and he leaned down to kiss her. Gabriella pushed him away almost as soon as their lips met. Her arms were already cold without the warmth of Troy's coat.

"Don't make this harder for me, Troy," she said.

"I'm sorry," he said, again.

Gabriella just shook her head and went to the car. She got in and sat down with her arms crossed. Troy got into the driver's seat and then, he threw the coat over Gabriella's arms. She looked at him.

"Just keep it," he said. "You're cold."

Gabriella did not say anything. When they arrived at Troy's house, she left the coat in Troy's car and headed inside. Troy stared after her.

"I love you, Ella," he whispered. "Don't ever forget that."

* * *

><p><strong>AN Hope you like the new chapter :) Read and Review! **


	10. Chapter 10

Summer holidays came and went. Gabriella started the new academic year without hearing a word from Troy. She pretended that she did not mind, but, in the inside, it was killing her. The basketball season began. Gabriella did not go to any games because it reminded her too much of Troy, but, when the final game came up and Stanford was playing against Berkley, Gabriella's friend Angela Johnson wanted to go because her boyfriend was going to Berkley, so, Gabriella went with her. It was the day after graduation for Gabriella and Angela and Gabriella had packed her stuff so that she could drive to Albuquerque from Berkley with Angela, who she had invited over to stay.

Gabriella was sitting on the bleachers with Angela and her boyfriend Jason Stewart. Everyone was cheering for their team. Angela and Jason were happily arguing about who would win. Only Gabriella did not join in any of it. Angela noticed her sitting quietly and turned to her.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I don't like to watch basketball anymore," she said, softly.

"Oh," Angela said as she remembered what Gabriella had told her about Troy.

Actually, Angela did not know Troy. She just knew that it was some boy.

"Look on the bright side," Angela said. "He's not here, right?"

Gabriella was about to say yes when the Berkley team ran onto the court. She froze when she saw who was leading them.

"He's right there," Gabriella whispered to Angela as she tried hard not to cry.

"Whoa!" Jason exclaimed. "You're the girl Troy Bolton moans over all the time?"

Gabriella stared at Jason in surprise.

"I don't know," she said. "Maybe it's some girl he met on his Europe tour."

"No," Jason said. "Troy's my roommate. And, I just remembered. He has a picture of you in our room and in his wallet _and _a picture of you for his cell phone and his laptop's wallpaper and that's why you looked so familiar. He calls you 'Ella', right?"

"I need to get out of here," Gabriella said, softly.

"But, Gabi," Angela said. "He won't even see you with this many people."

"Jason, don't tell him that I was here, please," Gabriella begged Jason.

"I won't," Jason promised.

The game ended. Troy did not see her. Berkley won. Everyone ran onto the court, except for Angela, Jason and Gabriella.

"Let's go," Angela said. "He'll see you if we're the only ones sitting here."

Gabriella wanted to leave. However, her body did not obey her brain. Her eyes were locked on to Troy. She sat on the bleachers, frozen, as Troy looked up and waved at Jason. Halfway through the wave, he froze, too, as his eyes went to Gabriella. Their eyes met and Gabriella broke out of her trance and looked down. She got up quickly.

"Get me out of here," she told Angela.

Angela got up quickly and headed towards the exit. Gabriella followed.

"Ella, wait!"Gabriella heard Troy call and she stopped.

"Gabi, come on," Angela said, but, Gabriella had already turned to see Troy running towards her.

"Can we talk?" Troy asked breathlessly.

"No," Gabriella said.

"Come on, Ella," Troy pleaded.

"Every single time you talk to me, Troy, I end up getting hurt," Gabriella said, softly. "I don't want that, again."

"Ella, I'm sorry," Troy said. "How about this? We talk in front of Jason and your friend and if I say anything which makes you upset, they get to beat me to death."

"Gabi, just give him a chance," Jason said.

Gabriella looked up at Jason and then at Troy. Finally, she nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me you were back?" she asked. "Why did you come back? When did you come back?"

"I don't know why I didn't tell you that I was back," Troy answered. "I guess I was hoping that if I told you face to face, maybe you'd forgive me, but, this wasn't how I thought it would be. And, I came back because; I did not plan on living in Europe, Ella. It was just a trip. And I was back within a month. Michael and I planned on staying in each place for a week or two, but, I couldn't, because, it didn't matter where I went. I remembered you because of something I saw there. I went to Paris and I remembered you because it's the fashion capital of the world. You told me that when we first met. I went to Rome and I remembered you because, it's supposed to be the most romantic city in the world and I'm in love with you. I went to UK and I stayed in Manchester. That reminded me of you because you're a fan of Manchester United."

"You sent me that jersey?" Gabriella asked.

Gabriella had received a Manchester United jersey with the number 14 and her name on it. She did not know who sent it to her, but, she loved it a lot.

"Yeah," Troy nodded. "I sent it to you. I put the number 14 because, that's my number ever since I was in East High. It's still my number and if you wear that jersey, I consider that you're mine, Ella. I told you once that you're the one for me. We both know that it's true, Ella."

"She wears that jersey all the time!" Angela blurted out.

Troy looked at Angela in surprise. Then, he turned to Gabriella who had tears streaming down her face. He glanced at Jason and nodded.

"Beat me up," he muttered holding up his hands.

Jason smiled, but did not move. Angela did not either. Gabriella stared at him.

"Ella, I love you," Troy said, desperately.

Gabriella did not say anything. She just looked at him as tears continued to roll down her cheeks. Troy sighed.

"Okay," he said. "I'm sorry, alright? Pretend that you never saw me tonight."

Troy walked past the three and headed out of the gym.

"Go after him, Gabi," Angela said, gently. "You'll regret it if you don't."

Gabriella glanced at Angela. She turned and followed Troy.

"Troy," she called her voice breaking.

Troy who was walking towards the exit turned. He saw Gabriella running towards him and caught him in his arms spinning her around as he did so. Gabriella threw her arms around Troy's neck, hugging him tightly. Troy held her close to him as he stroked her hair. Gabriella hit Troy's chest as she cried. Angela and Jason appeared.

"Don't ever leave me again, Troy," she said, hitting his chest after every word. "I love you."

"I swear, I'll never leave you again," Troy promised.

"Oh, just kiss her already," Angela said, excitedly.

Gabriella giggled through her tears. Troy smiled, too, as he wiped away her tears with his thumb. He leaned down towards her but then he stopped.

"What's wrong?" Gabriella asked.

"This is not the place for our first kiss as a couple," Troy said.

"Are we a couple?" Gabriella asked, smiling.

"Well, you'll just have to say yes, when I ask you," Troy said with a smile.

Gabriella smiled and hugged him tightly.

"I missed you," Troy said.

"I missed you, too," Gabriella smiled.

"So, you want to drive home together?" Troy asked. "We can talk and catch up and maybe somewhere along the way I'll ask you to be my girlfriend."

"Yeah, I'd like that," she smiled. "And, that goes to the question about the girlfriend thing you're going to ask later."

"Do you guys want to come to Albuquerque with us?" Troy asked Jason and Angela.

"Dude, that'd be awesome," Jason exclaimed. "I'm supposed to be staying here until my parents drive up for graduation."

"I already invited Angela," Gabriella smiled.

"So, you guys can take my car," Troy said, his arm still around Gabriella. "And, we'll go in Gabriella's car."

"Sure," Angela shrugged.

"We'll get our stuff from our room and meet you in the parking lot," Jason told Angela and Gabriella.

"You guys won," Gabriella said. "Aren't you staying for the after party?"

"That's up to Jason," Troy said. "I don't care if we stay or not, but, if we're staying, you'll have to stay with us."

"Let's just go," Jason said.

The four went to Troy's and Jason's room to get their stuff and headed out to the parking lot. Troy and Gabriella got into Gabriella's car and Jason and Angela went in Troy's. They drove for most of the night. It was almost three in the morning when they arrived at Albuquerque. Both girls were asleep by then. Troy drove straight to the beach. Jason, being new in Albuquerque, did not want to get lost and followed.

"Ella, wake up," Troy said, softly, when they arrived at the beach.

"Where are we?" Gabriella asked as Troy opened the car door for her.

"Hey, man, what are we doing at the beach?" Jason asked getting out of Troy's car.

"Give us a few minutes, dude," Troy said.

"Wait," Gabriella said as Troy took her hand and lead her towards the beach. "What are we doing here?"

"This is our spot, Ella," Troy said. "Remember the times when I said I loved you and you said you loved me? We did it all here. And, here is where I want to give you this."

Troy pulled off his class ring from East High School and slipped it onto her finger.

"There were rumors," Gabriella said, staring at the ring. "Everyone at East High said that you'd only give your class ring to the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. Were those rumors true?"

"Yes," Troy said. "And, there was a reason why I didn't give it to Sharpay."

"I love you, Troy," Gabriella said, smiling up at him.

"I love you, too, Ella," Troy said.

With that, he closed the gap between them, by connecting his lips with hers. Gabriella felt a familiar glow flow through her body. She wrapped her arms around his neck as his slid down to her waist. He pulled her closer to him and finally lifted her up and spun her around. Gabriella broke off the kiss, laughing as she did so.

"This is also the place I wanted to have my first kiss with you as a couple," he smiled.

Gabriella smiled and kissed him again. Troy broke the kiss after a few minutes.

"I'd love to stay here, but, I think we need to get going," Troy said, with a smile.

Gabriella gave him one last quick kiss and took his hand and headed back to her car. Angela had her hand clamped over Jason's mouth. Gabriella and Troy laughed when they saw this. The four headed to Gabriella's house first.

"Gabi!" Maria exclaimed opening the front door.

"Hi, mom," Gabriella said hugging her mother.

Troy pulled Gabriella's bags out of her car for her. Jason took out Angela's bags. Angela was staying with Gabriella and Jason was to stay with Troy.

"Mom, this is Angela," Gabriella said gesturing Angela forward.

"It's nice to meet you," Angela smiled.

"You, too," Maria smiled. "Make yourself at home."

"Thanks," Angela said.

"Mom, you remember Troy, right?" Gabriella smiled as Troy brought her bags to the doorstep.

"Of course," Maria said. "You talked about him all the time after he left."

Everyone except Gabriella laughed. She turned red.

"So, you two patched things up?" Maria asked, still smiling.

"Yeah," Gabriella answered.

"And, who is this?" Maria asked nodding at Jason.

"I'm Jason," Jason said shaking Maria's hand. "I'm Troy's roommate."

"Why don't you two boys come over for dinner tomorrow night?" Maria asked.

"Sounds great," Troy smiled. He glanced at his watch. "My mom's probably still up waiting for me, so I should get going."

"Sure," Maria smiled. "I've set up the guest room for you, Angela."

"Thanks," Angela smiled.

Maria headed into the house. Jason took Angela's bags inside for her.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Troy smiled and gave Gabriella a quick kiss.

"Good night," Gabriella smiled.

Troy and Jason headed to Troy's house. Lucille and Jack were waiting for them in the kitchen.

"Hey, mom," Troy smiled giving his mother a hug. "I missed you."

"What happened to you?" Jack asked.

"What do you mean?" Troy asked in surprise.

"You're happy," Jack said. "You haven't been this happy since before the accident."

"He's right," Lucille said.

"Is that a problem?" Troy asked.

"Of course not," Lucille said.

"Then, all's good," Troy grinned. "And, I invited my friend Jason over to stay with us for a few weeks, because his parents are going to Australia to visit his brother. Is that okay?"

"Sure," Lucille shrugged. "I'll go and set up the guest room for him."

Troy went outside to grab his bag from the car. Jason followed him in with his own bag. Lucille had gone upstairs to set up the room.

"Dad, this is Jason," Troy said. "Jason, this is my dad."

"Nice to meet you, Jason," Jack smiled.

"You, too," Jason smiled.

"So, maybe you can tell me why my son is so happy after such a long time," Jack said.

"I think it has something to do with the fact that he finally got a real girlfriend," Jason smirked.

"What?" Jack asked in surprise. "But, I thought you were still hooked onto Gabriella, Troy."

Troy shrugged. Then, he raised an eyebrow at his dad and grinned.

"Wait a second," Jack said, slowly. "You're telling me that you're actually with Gabriella?"

"Is that so hard to believe?" Troy asked.

"Well, considering that she's smart and beautiful and you're just a plain old dumb boy," Jack grinned. "It is very hard to believe."

"That's funny, dad," Troy said opening the refrigerator. "That's very funny."

"So, wait," Jack said. "You're really with Gabriella?"

"Gabriella?" Lucille asked entering the kitchen again. "What about her?"

"It seems like our Troy has finally got her," Jack announced.

"Oh, Troy!" Lucille exclaimed. "That's wonderful."

"I'm going to kill you," Troy told Jason as Lucille hugged him.

Jason just laughed.

"So, now that we're through with the whole Gabriella thing," Troy said. "Do we have something to eat? I'm starving."

"I did make a pie," Lucille smiled.

"And, I just remembered why I love you so much," Troy grinned at his mother. "Come on, Jason. My mom's pies are to die for."

"Just my pies?" Lucille asked taking out the plates.

"Okay, fine," Troy said. "Everything she makes is awesome."

"I know that," Jason smirked.

"How?" Troy frowned.

"Because, every time we get something to eat at the university's canteen, you keep telling me how your mother makes that food you eat so much better."

"I guess, I just miss her home cooked meals," Troy said.

"Is there something you want, Troy?" Lucille asked, smiling as she sliced the pie.

"Do I need a reason to compliment you, mom?" Troy asked.

"Usually, yes," she answered.

"Well, this time there's nothing," Troy said. "I'm just in a happy mood."

"We can see that," Jack smiled.

"So, tell us how Gabriella became your girlfriend," Lucille smiled.

Troy's eyes grew wide at that. He pulled his cell phone out and quickly called Gabriella.

"Are you asleep?" he asked as soon as she picked up.

"No, why?" Gabriella asked.

"I'll be there in a minute," Troy said.

He hung up the phone.

"Troy, you do know what time is it, right?" Jack said.

"Yeah, I do," Troy answered. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Why are you going to Gabriella's anyway?" Jason asked.

"I didn't ask her to be my girlfriend," Troy called running out of the kitchen.

Jason, Jack and Lucille burst out laughing as Troy slammed the front door shut.

Troy drove to Gabriella's house, again. Gabriella was waiting at the door.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" Troy asked.

Gabriella smiled, slowly. Then, she started laughing.

"What's so funny?" he asked, confusedly.

"You came here at this hour to ask me to be your girlfriend?" Gabriella asked. "It's like four in the morning, Troy."

"So, is that a yes or a no?" he asked.

Gabriella put her arms around Troy's neck and pulled his head down and kissed him, gently.

"Yes," she whispered.

Troy grinned and kissed her again.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said, finally pulling away from Gabriella.

"Good night," Gabriella smiled.

Troy gave Gabriella another quick kiss and then headed home again where his parents and Jason were waiting for him. They all started laughing again when they saw him. Troy just grinned at them foolishly.

"I'm going to bed," he said. "I'll show you the guest room, Jase."

Jason followed Troy upstairs.

"So, does this mean you aren't going to be the depressed dude I have to pull out of the bars?" Jason asked.

"Shut up!" Troy hissed. "My parents can't know that!"

"No worries," Jason said.

"This is my room," Troy said showing Jason his room. "And, that'll be yours."

He pointed to a door.

"Thanks, man," Jason said.

"Yeah, no problem," Troy replied.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming ;)**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, but I've been busy with school and stuff. Hope you like this new chapter. R & R! :)**

* * *

><p>The next day, Gabriella entered Troy's room quietly. He was still asleep. Angela had gone to wake Jason up. Gabriella kissed Troy gently on the lips. Without even opening his eyes, Troy kissed back, pulling her onto the bed as he did so. Gabriella fell on top of Troy laughing as she did so.<p>

"Good morning," Troy grinned.

"Morning?" Gabriella asked with a smile.

"Huh?" Troy asked, sitting up with Gabriella beside him. "What time is it?"

"It's well past noon," Gabriella said.

"Oh," Troy said flopping back onto the bed and closing his eyes. "Well, in that case, I've missed breakfast, so, I'll go back to sleep."

"Your mom told me to tell you that she made pasta for lunch," Gabriella smiled.

"Pasta?" Troy's eyes flew open.

Gabriella laughed and nodded.

"I'm up," Troy said, jumping up.

Troy grinned at her and then went to the bathroom to wash his face. He came back a few minutes later. He was not wearing a shirt and Gabriella was getting quite turned on. She stared at him. Troy felt her staring and turned to look at her.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked.

Gabriella got up and walked over to him. She pushed him towards the bed until he was standing next to the bed with his back turned to it. With one final push, Gabriella got Troy to the bed. She got into bed, too, straddling him. Troy smiled. He lifted his upper body and kissed Gabriella.

"Ella, I love you," Troy said between kisses.

"No talking," Gabriella said kissing his neck.

"But, we can't do this right now!" Troy exclaimed pulling away from Gabriella before he got even more turned on. "My parents are downstairs and they're waiting for us."

"Right," Gabriella said. "I forgot about that."

Troy smiled. He kissed her gently.

"Don't worry," Troy said. "We'll do it soon."

Gabriella smiled and got off Troy. Troy got up and went to his closet and pulled out a blue shirt.

"I want it to be special," Gabriella said as he put on the shirt. "I want my first time with you to be special."

"Ella," Troy said. "We already had sex, remember?"

"I mean, our first time as a couple, Troy," Gabriella said.

Gabriella got onto her knees on the bed. Troy moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"I know that you're the one for me, Troy," Gabriella said. "And, I want to remember our first time together as a couple."

"Well, then, we'll make it special," Troy smiled.

Troy kissed her gently just as the door opened. Troy jumped away from Gabriella when he saw Lucille at the door.

"Hi, mom," Troy said, awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Lunch is ready," Lucille smiled.

"Thanks, mom," Troy said. "We'll be right down."

Lucille left and Gabriella started laughing.

"Imagine what would have happened if we had been having sex," Gabriella laughed.

"Don't even think about it!" Troy exclaimed, taking her hand and leading her out of the room.

Troy knocked on Jason's door.

"Jase, you coming down?" Troy called.

The door opened and Jason and Angela walked out, clearly after a make out session. Troy just smirked at them and headed downstairs.

Troy and Gabriella spent the rest of the day visiting their old friends and showing Jason and Angela around. By sunset, they were back at the beach, having fun. They had a huge splashing fight by the shore.

"Hey, guys," Gabriella said glancing at her watch. "We better get going. My mom's making us dinner, remember?"

"Gabriella?" another voice asked before anyone could reply.

The voice was way too familiar for Troy and Gabriella. They turned to see Lucas standing behind them.

"Your mom said that you were out with your friends and I figured that you'd be here," Lucas said.

"What do you want, Lucas?" Gabriella asked.

"She also said that it wasn't a good idea for me to look for you," Lucas said eyeing Troy and Gabriella's hands which were linked. "I can see why she told me that."

"What do you want?" Gabriella asked, again.

"I was wondering whether we could talk," Lucas said. "We've been through a lot together and…"

Lucas voice trailed away.

"Whatever we had, meant nothing to you," Gabriella said. "You cheated on me, twice, Lucas. And, we broke up a long time back. We were engaged and we had sent out the invitations to our wedding! And then I find out you were cheating on me again! I want nothing more to do with you, Lucas. Deal with it!"

"Gabi, wait!" Lucas said grabbing Gabriella's free hand as she tried to walk away.

"Let go of me, Lucas," Gabriella said.

Troy, who had been fighting off the urge to punch Lucas, got even madder when Lucas took Gabriella's hand. And when, he did not let go…

"Troy!" Gabriella exclaimed staring at Lucas who was on the ground with a bleeding nose. "You didn't have to do that!"

"I'm sorry," Troy told her. "I know you told me never to hit him again, but, I've been holding that in me for quite some time, now."

"Let's just get out of here," Gabriella said as Lucas got onto his feet.

Jason and Angela followed them without a word to Troy's car. The four headed towards the Montez house.

"Hi, mom," Gabriella said, walking into the dining room where her mother was setting the table.

Gabriella took the cutlery from her mother and began to keep them in place.

"Did you have fun?" Maria asked.

"Yeah, we did," Gabriella replied.

"Lucas came to see you," Maria said.

"Yeah, I know," Gabriella said.

"How'd you know?" Maria asked. "You met him?"

"Gabs, I think we need some ice for Troy's hand," Angela said walking into the dining room.

"We met him, mom," Gabriella answered. "And, Lucas's nose also met Troy's fist."

Maria laughed.

"I'll get the ice," she smiled.

"Anything I can do to help?" Jason asked as he and Troy walked into the dining room.

"Could you grab the glasses from the kitchen?" Gabriella asked.

"Sure," Jason said.

Jason and Angela went into the kitchen as Maria returned with the ice.

"Thanks, Ms. Montez," Troy said placing the ice against his hand.

"Troy, call me Maria," Maria smiled. "I have a feeling I'm going to be seeing you for a lot from now on."

Troy chuckled as Gabriella turned red. Angela and Jason returned with the glasses and they started dinner. After dinner, the four helped Maria to clean up.

"Mom, are you okay?" Gabriella asked, seeing her mother hold the kitchen counter with both hands and close her eyes.

"I'm fine, Gabi," Maria said. "But, I need to talk to you."

"We'll finish the dishes," Angela said, quickly.

"Thanks," Gabriella said before following her mother into the living room.

After a while, Troy, Angela and Jason had finished doing the dishes and were sitting at the kitchen counter. Troy was telling Angela all the embarrassing things Jason had done in college, when Gabriella walked into the kitchen. The three turned to look at her at the same moment when they heard her. Gabriella's eyes were red and puffy.

"Gabi, what's wrong?" Angela asked as Troy got up and hurried over to her.

"What happened, Ella?" Troy asked softly as more tears started rolling down her cheeks.

Maria walked into the kitchen.

"Gabi, there's no use crying over this," Maria said, softly, rubbing Gabriella's back.

"What happened?" Troy asked.

"I have leukemia," Maria explained. "And, I have just a few months left."

Gabriella pulled herself away from Troy and ran out of the house.

"Uh…" Troy said, not sure of what to say to Maria. He looked in the direction Gabriella had gone indicating that he wanted to go with her.

"Go after her," Maria said.

Troy nodded and ran out of the house after Gabriella. She was standing just outside the house. Troy looked at her for a moment and then wrapped his arms around her. Gabriella buried her face in Troy's shirt as the tears flowed down her cheeks. Troy sat down on the doorstep with Gabriella next to him. He held onto her as she cried. Finally, her sobs slowed down and she gave into her exhaustion and fell asleep. When Troy saw that she was asleep, he lifted her up and carried her into the house. Angela showed him to her room and he took her there. Gabriella woke up as he laid her down on the bed.

"Hi," Troy said stroking her hair. "Are you okay?"

Gabriella just shrugged and took Troy's other hand in hers.

"Do you want me to stay over tonight?" he asked.

"No, I'll be okay," Gabriella said.

"Are you sure?" he asked and she nodded. "Okay, then, I'll see you tomorrow."

"When?" she asked.

"I'll come over tomorrow morning," Troy assured her.

"Okay," she said.

Gabriella pulled him closer to her and kissed him.

"Goodnight," she said, softly.

"Night," Troy said.

He kissed her forehead and then got up and left the room. He headed downstairs. Maria was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs.

"She loves you, Troy," Maria said. "She was quite a mess when you left."

"I'm sorry," Troy said. "I didn't mean to hurt her, but, that was not a good few days for me, and most of the things I did, didn't make any sense."

"I'm not blaming you, Troy," Maria said. "Even she did some things to you, which would have probably hurt you a lot."

Troy did not say anything at that.

"The only thing I want to see is Gabriella happy," Maria said. "And, she was really happy when she came home last night. Don't take that happiness away from her, Troy. You're the reason she's smiling like that, again."

"I won't," Troy promised.

"Do you plan on marrying her?" Maria asked.

"We haven't really talked about it," Troy said. "I mean, we just got together, but, I do plan on marrying her someday."

"Thank you, Troy," Maria smiled.

Troy smiled back. His cell phone started ringing. It was Lucille.

"It's my mom," Troy said. "I should get going."

"Okay," Maria said. "Good night, Troy."

"Goodnight," Troy said.

Troy went to the kitchen and found Jason and Angela there. He told Jason that they had to go. Just as the two stepped outside, it started raining. They ran to Troy's car and got in. Troy drove home.

As soon as Troy got home, he headed upstairs. He fell onto the bed facedown and lay there. He heard the doorbell ring a few minutes later and wondered who it was, but, did not bother to go down to find out. A few seconds after the doorbell had rung, Troy's bedroom door swung open.

"Dude!" Jason exclaimed. "Gabriella's here. She's really upset, man."

Troy jumped to his feet and raced downstairs. Gabriella was standing at the doorway. She was soaked to her skin. Jack was trying to get her inside, but she had not moved from the doorstep. Lucille appeared with a towel just as Troy reached the bottom of the stairs. He grabbed it from her and hurried over to her. He hugged her close to him, wrapping the towel around her shoulders as he did so. He pulled her into the house gently.

"Ella," he said, softly. "Are you okay?"

Gabriella just shook her head and Troy took her upstairs. She stood there shivering as Troy looked through his drawers to find something she could wear. He noticed this and walked into the bathroom and turned on the water for the bath. He filled it with bubbles and went back to the room to see that Gabriella had not moved from the spot. He led her to the bathroom and kissed her neck softly as he took the towel away.

"Does your mom know that you're here?" Troy asked.

"No," she said, softly.

"Okay," Troy said. "I'll come back in a minute, alright? Just get into the bath."

Gabriella nodded and Troy left. He headed downstairs. Jason had explained to Jack and Lucille about what was going on.

"Is she okay?" Jason asked.

"I don't think so," Troy sighed. "Listen, call Angela and tell her that Gabriella's here. Tell her to tell Maria, okay?"

"Sure," Jason said.

"Thanks, man," Troy said.

Troy went into the kitchen and made a hot chocolate and hurried back upstairs with it. Gabriella was sitting on the edge of the bathtub. He sat down next to her and took her hand in his and kissed it gently.

"Come on," Troy said. "The bath will warm you up. I don't want you getting ill."

Gabriella did not say anything. Instead, she just looked at Troy and Troy realized that she wanted his help. He hesitated for a minute and reached to pull her shirt over her head. Gabriella let him and finally she was stood in her underwear.

"I'll just turn around," Troy said, feeling awkward and he turned so that his back was to her.

"Troy," she said, softly after a minute.

Troy spun around and saw that she was in the bath. He grabbed the hot chocolate which he had placed on the dresser and handed it to her. She took it and took a sip out of it.

"Ella," he said as he sat down on the edge of the bathtub. "You could've called me and I'd have been at your house in a minute. You didn't have to get caught in the rain."

"I'm sorry," Gabriella said.

"Hey, now, look," Troy said. "That's not something you apologize for."

He took her free hand and kissed it gently.

Troy sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. He kissed her head, gently. Then he slowly massaged her back. Finally she finished her hot chocolate. She handed the empty mug to Troy and reached for the towel. Troy turned around again, while she wrapped herself in the towel. Troy turned as she was reaching for her clothes.

"Wait, I'll get you some dry clothes," Troy said and hurried to the room.

Gabriella followed him and he handed her one of his t shirts and a pair of shorts from one of his old jerseys. She put them on and sat on the edge of the bed. Troy sat down next to her. He took her hand and rubbed the top of her fingers, gently.

"Ella," he began. "You need to be strong for your mother. She wouldn't want you to get upset about all this."

"Troy, my mother's dying," Gabriella said.

"I know, Ella," Troy said, softly. "But, you need to be strong for her."

"I can't," Gabriella whispered as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I can't go through with this."

"Ella, you can do this," Troy said. "I'm here for you. We'll get through this together."

"Troy, I can't watch my mother die," Gabriella said, softly. "I'm not ready to say goodbye to her yet. She's my mother, Troy! She's supposed to be there when I get married and have kids! I _want_ her there at my wedding and when I have a baby!"

Her voice grew louder as she spoke. She was confused and frustrated and really upset. Troy hugged her close to him.

"Come on," Troy said.

He got into bed with Gabriella. They lay on top of the covers. Troy had his arms wrapped around her tightly. She fell asleep in his arms. Troy watched her sleep while stroking her arm, gently. There was a soft knock on the door and Lucille opened it.

"How is she?" Lucille asked.

"I don't know," Troy said, softly not wanting to wake Gabriella up.

"I spoke to Maria," Lucille said. "The doctors have told her that she has about eighteen months to live."

"She wants Maria to be at her wedding and when she has a baby," Troy said. "She isn't ready for this."

"Troy, no one will ever be ready to part with someone they love," Lucille said, softly.

"I know," Troy said. "It's just…there's nothing I can do for her. I just have to watch her go through all this."

"Troy," Lucille said, gently. "You'll be doing a lot for her by just being there for her."

Gabriella shifted in her sleep and Troy looked down at her.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning," Lucille said.

"Yeah, okay," Troy said.

Troy watched Gabriella sleep for a while before dozing off. He thought about what she said about wanting Maria there when she got married and had a baby. Troy realized that although he could not stop Maria from dying, he could do those two things for her, but, was _he_ ready for it?


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning, Troy woke up when he felt Gabriella get up from the bed.

"Good morning," Troy said.

"Morning," Gabriella replied.

Troy watched as she hurried into the bathroom and washed her face.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Troy asked.

"My mom will be worried," Gabriella said, grabbing her clothes which Lucille had brought after drying them. "I need to go home."

"Ella, she knows that you're with me," Troy said.

Gabriella shrugged and just changed into her own clothes.

"Okay, wait," Troy said. "I'll drive you home."

Gabriella nodded. Troy put on a fresh shirt and washed his face and followed Gabriella out of the room.

"Morning, Gabriella," Lucille said when they went downstairs. She was making breakfast. "Would you like to stay for breakfast?"

"No, thank you," Gabriella said, quickly and hurried towards the door.

Lucille looked at Troy and he shrugged before following Gabriella out of the house.

"Ella, stop!" Troy said when they got to his car.

Gabriella stopped and turned.

"I know you're really upset, but, why are you being like this?" Troy said. "It seems like you want to get away from me. Do you want to get away from me?"

Gabriella stared at him.

"Ella, come on," Troy said. "I love you, Ella."

"I love you, too, Troy," Gabriella said, softly. "It's just that, I don't want you to see me like this."

Troy stepped closer to her and kissed her gently on the lips.

"I love you, Ella," Troy said, softly. "And, I'm here for you."

Gabriella nodded. Troy opened the car door for her and she got in. Troy drove her home.

"Do you want to come in?" Gabriella asked.

"Actually, there's something I have to do," Troy said. "But, I'll come by in a couple of hours, okay?"

"Okay," Gabriella said and kissed him. "Bye."

"Bye," Troy said.

Troy watched as Gabriella got out of the car and went to the house. He waited until she had shut the door before driving home again.

"Mom, dad," Troy said walking into the kitchen. "I need to talk to you."

"What is it, Troy?" Jack asked.

"I'm twenty one, and I'm allowed to make these decisions on my own, but, I just really want to know what you think of this, and I really want you guys to be okay with this."

"What is it?" Lucille asked.

"I'm going to ask Gabriella to marry me," Troy said. He had decided that he was ready to get married since it would make Gabriella happy, but, he was not sure about the baby part.

"Troy, that's a big decision," Jack said. "Are you sure about this?"

"I plan on marrying her at some point," Troy said. "But, she wants Maria at her wedding, and well, we don't know how long Maria's going to be with us, even if the doctor's said eighteen months. And, since I was planning on marrying her later, why not get married now? Gabriella would get what she wants this way and so will I."

"It's your decision, Troy," Lucille said. "But, you're sure about this, right? I mean, you just got together with her."

"I'm sure, mom," Troy said. "And, as for getting together with her, it doesn't feel like that with us. I mean, we had a lot of history together."

"Okay," Lucille said.

"What?" Troy asked, surprised.

"You can marry Gabriella," Jack said. "I don't even know why you're asking us."

"Congratulations, Troy," Lucille smiled, hugging Troy. "My little boy is going to get married."

Troy laughed.

"You're getting married?" Jason asked walking into the kitchen.

"If Gabriella says yes when I propose to her," Troy said.

"Well, of course, she'll say yes," Jason said. "How are you going to propose to her? Did you get her a ring?"

"Yeah, about that, dude," Troy said. "I need your help."

"Sure," Jason said.

"Come on," Troy said, heading towards the door. "I'll introduce you to my best friend since pre-school. His name's Chad Danforth and is the only person in the whole of Albuquerque to have an Afro. Well, the only person I know, anyway. You'll like him."

"Okay," Jason shrugged.

"I'll be back later," Troy told his parents.

Troy and Jason went over to Chad's house. Troy rang the doorbell and waited impatiently for Chad to open the door.

"Troy!" Chad exclaimed when he saw Troy. "Hey, man, how are you? Come on in!"

"Hey, Chad," Troy smiled stepping into the house. "This is my friend, Jason. And, I need your help."

"This is the first time you've seen me in months and you're here only because you need a favour?" Chad asked.

"I just got back the night before last," Troy said, rolling his eyes.

"You always have some excuse," Chad smirked. "What's up?"

"I'm going to get married," Troy said. "I mean, I'm going to ask my girlfriend to marry me."

"I didn't even know that you had a girlfriend," Chad said. "And, aren't you still hooked on that Montez girl?"

"And, he got the Montez girl the night he came to Albuquerque," Jason grinned.

"Are you serious?" Chad asked in surprise.

"Is it really so hard to believe?" Troy asked, frowning.

"Yes," Chad grinned.

"Fine," Troy said. "Anyway, I need your help."

"Start talking," Chad said.

"I'm going to propose to Gabriella at the beach," Troy said. "And, I promised her that I'd be over at her house in a couple of hours, so, I can't really set up anything, but, I know exactly what I want. I want a banner of some sort asking her to marry me and I want it to be hanging over a tent on the beach. And, there has to be a fire."

"But, there will be people on the beach," Jason said.

"I was hoping you'd take care of that with one of your parties, Chad," Troy said. "Everyone comes to your parties."

"Sure," Chad shrugged. "It's not a summer without my party."

"And, I need to go pick a ring," Troy said.

"What do you want me to do?" Jason asked.

"When everyone's at the party, I'll take Gabriella for a walk to the beach," Troy said. "And, by then, I want you to light a fire, when you see my car. And maybe put up the tent and hang the banner and stuff."

"Sure," Jason shrugged.

"Thanks," Troy said. "Now, why don't you guys help me pick out a ring?"

The three boys went out in Troy's car. Troy got a white gold ring with a single diamond on top. He had saved a lot of money while working when he was in college and spent almost half of his savings on it. After that, he headed straight to Gabriella's house. Jason hung back with Lucille, who helped him to make the banner. Troy had decided that he wanted the usual 'Will you marry me?' to go on the banner. He was about to stay and help, but Gabriella had called him, wondering where he was. So, Jason had told him to go to Gabriella's house.

Troy rang the doorbell at Gabriella's house, getting nervous as he thought of what would happen that night. Maria opened the door.

"Hi, Maria," Troy smiled.

"Hi, Troy," Maria said. "Come in. Gabriella's out in the backyard with Angela."

"I'm going to ask Gabriella to marry me!" Troy blurted out. "I know that we just got together, but, I know that this will work with us and she wants you to be there at her wedding, so, I'm giving her what she wants. We'll get married, if that's okay with you."

"Thank you, Troy," Maria said, softly. "I didn't think I'd see the day Gabriella gets married."

Troy smiled, satisfied that he had gotten Maria's blessing. Maria showed him to the backyard.

"Hey," Troy smiled walking over to the two girls who were sitting on the old swings.

"Where's Jason?" Angela asked.

"He's at home," Troy said. "He'll come by later."

"Why didn't he come now?" Gabriella asked.

"He's helping my mom," Troy said. "I was helping her, too, when you called."

Angela looked satisfied with the answer. Gabriella stared at him for a moment, knowing that he was hiding something from her, but, did not ask anymore. Troy glanced at Gabriella. She still looked upset, but, she looked better than when she had left his house.

"Hey, Ella," Troy said, kneeling down on the ground next to Gabriella's swing.

"I'm going to go…do something," Angela said, quickly and went into the house.

Troy chuckled and Gabriella smiled when they saw Angela rush into the house. Just then, Troy's phone rang. He got up and took his cell phone out of his pocket.

"Hey, what's up, Jason?" Troy said into the phone.

"So, do you want pink or blue on the banner?" Jason asked.

"No pink!" Troy exclaimed. "That's Sharpay's colour. Go with purple."

Gabriella stared at Troy when he said Sharpay. Sharpay liked pink and everyone knew that. Gabriella liked purple and she knew that Troy knew it because he had said so the night at East High.

"What's going on?" Gabriella asked when Troy hung up.

"Nothing," Troy said.

Gabriella got up to face Troy.

"Troy, I know when you're lying to me," Gabriella said. "And, right now, you're hiding something from me."

"Chad's having a party tonight," Troy said. "I'll explain everything to you, tonight. Can you please trust me until then?"

Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed her gently. She responded, but, then pulled away after a few seconds.

She hugged him and leant against his chest. Troy hugged back, slightly confused.

"Just hold me, Troy,"

Troy rested his chin on her head and held her close to him and for a long time, the couple just stood there.

That evening, Troy and Jason met Gabriella and Angela at Chad's house. Everyone who had gone to East High with them and had finished college was there. Troy and Jason were with Chad. Angela and Gabriella saw them at the kitchen counter among a lot of other people and headed towards them.

"Troy!" another voice squealed, just as Gabriella and Angela reached the table.

Troy turned and saw Sharpay Evans, his ex-girlfriend, waving at him. Awkwardly, he waved back. Sharpay hurried over to him.

"I've missed you so much, Troy," Sharpay squealed throwing her arms around his neck, hugging him. "We should hang out, and catch up."

Troy took Sharpay's hands off his neck. He glanced at Gabriella and the others. Gabriella looked upset.

"Sharpay, you remember Chad, right?" Troy said walking around the kitchen counter and standing next to Gabriella. "And, these are my friends, Jason and Angela, and this is my girlfriend, Gabriella."

"I know you from somewhere," Sharpay said to Gabriella. "Didn't you come to East High with us? You were the perfect nerd! What the hell are you doing with Troy Bolton?"

"Sharpay, stop!" Troy exclaimed. "It's been four years since we broke up. I'm not your boyfriend. I don't even like you. Just deal with it."

Sharpay looked at Troy in surprise.

"You've changed, Troy," Sharpay said.

"And, you haven't," Troy replied.

"Angela, come with me," Jason said, suddenly.

"Where are we going?" Angela said.

"You'll see," Jason said, dragging her away from everyone and out of the house.

Troy took Gabriella's hand and led her away from Sharpay. He took her upstairs to Chad's empty room.

"I'm sorry about that," Troy said.

"It's okay," Gabriella said.

Gabriella kissed Troy, suddenly. Her hands went to his shirt and began to undo the buttons. Troy pulled away, quickly.

"Ella, what are you doing?" Troy asked.

"I need this, Troy," Gabriella said. "I need the distraction."

"You said you wanted it to be special and this is Chad's room," Troy said.

"I don't care if it is special or not," Gabriella said.

"Okay, okay," Troy said, knowing that Gabriella was upset. "Come on. We'll go for a drive, okay?"

Troy took out his phone and sent a text to Jason asking him where he was and Jason replied that it was okay for them to go to the beach. Troy drove Gabriella to the beach. He spotted the fire Jason had built a little way away and parked the car. He also saw Jason get into Chad's car with Angela and drive away.

"Come on," Troy said. "I have a surprise for you."

Troy covered Gabriella's eyes with his hands and led her to the fire. There was a white tent with sleeping bags in it and a banner with purple letters. Troy removed his hands and Gabriella opened her eyes. She gasped and turned to face Troy, who knelt down on his knee with the small velvet box open in his hands.

"I know we just got together, but, I love you, Ella," Troy said. "And, I told you once before that you're the one for me and I stand by my words. You are the one for me! Will you marry me?"

The tears that Gabriella had been trying to hold back flowed freely down her cheeks. Troy got up, quickly and put the box into his pocket. He wiped away her tears with his thumb.

"I love you, Troy," Gabriella said, softly.

"But?" Troy asked.

"It's like you said, Troy," Gabriella said. "We just got together. It hasn't even been a week yet, but, you're getting into my head. You're here with a banner and bending down on one knee at a spot that is quite special to us and asking me to marry you! You can't do that, Troy!"

"Why not?" Troy asked. "I mean, I know that this is what I want, so why not, Ella?"

"Because," Gabriella said. "I just might say yes!"

With that, their lips met in a passionate kiss. Troy lifted Gabriella up spun her around.

"So, wait, was that your way of saying yes?" Troy asked. "Because, I just want you to know, there isn't a wrong answer to this. Even if you say no, that's fine with me. I mean, we can get married in a couple of years, too, if that's what you want, but, I just thought that you might want to get married now, given the circumstances with your mother, but, if you don't –"

Gabriella pressed her finger against his lips.

"You're talking way too much," she smiled.

"I just need to know whether it's a yes or a no," Troy said, with a small smile. "I mean, if it's a yes, I can tell the whole world that I'm marrying Gabriella Montez."

"It's a yes," Gabriella smiled.

Troy pulled the ring out of his pocket and slipped it onto her finger. Gabriella smiled and kissed Troy again. When they broke apart for air, Gabriella smiled and looked around. She saw the tent.

"So, you have a tent here?" she asked with a smile.

"You wanted our first time as a couple to be special," Troy smiled. "And, I figured, this beach is pretty special to us."

"Let's get married here," Gabriella said, excitedly. "We can have a beach wedding. It'd be perfect!"

Troy smiled and kissed her again, gently.

"Whatever you want, Ella," he said softly, between kisses.

Gabriella broke their kiss and smiled at Troy.

"You brought the tent for a reason, Troy," she smiled.

Troy grinned at her. He led her to the tent. They both crawled into it. Troy kissed her gently at first and then with more pressure. Gabriella broke apart from Troy and pulled his shirt over his head. She ran her fingers down his chest as he kissed her neck. He pulled off her shirt and her jeans, leaving her in her underwear.

"This isn't fair," Gabriella told Troy.

"What are you talking about?" Troy asked in surprise.

"You have more clothes on than me," Gabriella smiled.

Troy chuckled. He pulled off his jeans and they both lay on the sleeping bags. Troy was on top of Gabriella. He kissed her gently as he took off her bra. Her hands slid down to his boxers and she slipped her hand into his boxers and grasped his cock which was rock hard. Troy groaned as she stroked it gently. Just as he was about to come, she removed her hand.

"Ella," he groaned. "You're going to kill me."

Gabriella laughed. Troy smiled.

"I like your laugh," he said, softly. "Don't stop that."

Gabriella smiled, shyly. Troy's hand slid down and took off her panties. He slid his finger through her opening and she gasped. He added another finger and started moving his fingers.

"More, Troy," she moaned.

Troy added another finger in and moved his fingers faster. Gabriella came all over his fingers. Troy licked his fingers clean. Gabriella flipped them over so that she was lying on top of him. She pulled off his tight boxers which looked like they were going to be ripped off and kissed the tip of his cock. Slowly, she stroked his cock gently.

"Ella," he groaned.

Gabriella grinned. She took him in his mouth, sucking it hard. She sucked the tip and swirled her tongue over it. She played with his balls and he came into her mouth. Troy was breathing heavily. It took him less than twenty seconds to be rock hard again. Troy was about to flip them over, when Gabriella stopped him.

"I want to ride you, Troy," she whispered seductively. "Cowboy style. Don't move."

Troy grinned as Gabriella pushed him back. She sank onto his erection moaning loudly as she did so. She started grinding on him. Troy ran his hands up and down her thighs as he watched him. She started downward thrusts. Her breasts were bouncing up and down in front of Troy's eyes. They were wide open. Gabriella was panting too hard to speak. She just took Troy's hands and brought them to her chest where he cupped her. He squeezed her breasts and fondled with it.

"Troy," Gabriella moaned. "I'm almost there."

Gabriella was close to her peak, but, she needed a little help from Troy. Troy saw this and flipped them over immediately. He pulled himself out of her until only his tip was in her and then, he thrust into her as hard as he could. He continued this action more quickly a few more times till Gabriella reached her peak. Troy kept on thrusting into her till Gabriella came for the second time and this time Troy came with her. He fell against her. Both of them were breathing heavily.

"That was so awesome," Gabriella panted as Troy pulled out of her and lay on the sleeping bag next to her. "You're awesome, Troy."

Troy grinned as he put and arm around Gabriella, pulling her close to him.

"I love you," he said covering their bodies with a sheet.

"I love you, too," Gabriella smiled, snuggling close to Troy.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Sorry but there won't be any updates for at least two weeks because I've got exams but I'll try to update regularly after that till I finish this story :) Thanks for reading! Leave a review if you like it :)**


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning, Troy woke up early. The sun had not risen properly. He looked down at Gabriella who was sleeping on his chest and smiled. Just looking at her made him happy.

"Ella," he whispered, softly. "Wake up."

Gabriella shifted in her sleep.

"Come on, Ella," Troy said. "You have to wake up."

Gabriella opened her eyes sleepily. She sat up as she remembered the events of the previous night. She looked down at her hand and smiled when she saw the ring.

"Good morning," Troy said, sitting up and giving her a quick kiss. "We should get out of here before someone comes."

"Right," Gabriella said. "I want to see my mom, too."

Troy and Gabriella got dressed and gathered everything.

"Troy," Gabriella said, softly as Troy pulled down the banner.

"Yeah?" Troy asked turning around.

"Thank you," she said. "I know you don't want to marry me so quickly and that you're doing this because of my mom and –"

"Ella, stop!" Troy exclaimed. "I'm doing this because I love you and you're the one for me. It's as simple as that. I want to marry you. I want you to be my wife."

Gabriella smiled. Troy kissed her gently.

"I love you," he said, again.

"I love you, too," Gabriella smiled.

Troy drove Gabriella home and then headed to his house. His parents and Jason were waiting for him.

"Well?" Jason asked when Troy walked in through the door.

"What?" Troy asked pretending to be clueless.

"What did she say?" Jack asked. "Didn't you ask her?"

"Oh, that," Troy said. "Yeah, I did ask her."

"Oh, sweetie, it's okay," Lucille said. "Maybe it was just too soon for her."

"Okay, I really don't like you all anymore," Troy said, pretending to be upset. "First you don't think Gabriella will be my girlfriend and now you don't think she'll be my fiancée."

"Wait, she said yes?" Jack asked.

"She said yes!" Troy confirmed.

"I'm so proud of you, Troy," Lucille said hugging Troy.

Troy laughed as he hugged his mother. Jack patted him on the back and Jason slapped high five with him.

"Dude, listen," Troy said. "The best man thing is a bit of a problem. You see, I want both you and Chad there."

"Oh, well, dude," Jason said. "I don't mind either way."

"Come on," Troy said dragging Jason out of the house.

They headed over to Chad's house together.

"Well, are you engaged or what?" Chad asked opening the door.

"I'm engaged," Troy grinned.

"And, the best man?" Chad asked eagerly.

"That's a problem," Troy said.

"What?" Chad asked.

"I want you both there, okay?" Troy said. "So, we're going to settle this the mature way."

"How's that?" Jason asked.

"Rock, paper, scissor," Troy grinned.

Jason laughed.

"Okay, go," Troy said. "Rock, paper, scissor!"

Chad got scissor and Jason got paper.

"Yes!" Chad exclaimed. "Dude, this is going to so awesome! I'll throw you a bachelor party and everything."

"Yeah, alright," Troy laughed. "We're going back to school for graduation the day after tomorrow. So, whatever you do, you can do it after that."

"Yeah, yeah, okay," Chad said, quickly. "I'll get Zeke and Jason Cross to help me."

Troy smiled to see Chad's excitement.

"Dude, you can help me, too!" Chad told Jason.

"That's cool," Jason smiled.

"Come in," Chad said stepping aside for Jason to enter. "Not you, Troy."

"What?" Troy asked.

"It's going to be a surprise," Chad said. "Get lost, lover boy."

Troy rolled his eyes at his friends and left. He headed over to Gabriella's house. Gabriella opened the door as soon as the doorbell rang.

"You have to help me, Troy," Gabriella said, pulling him in quickly.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't know how to tell my mom and Angela," she said. "I've been hiding in my room since I got home and I saw you through the window and came down."

"Ella," Troy chuckled. "Your mom already knows that I was going to propose to you and Jason helped me set up the whole thing so I think it's safe to say Angela knows, too. You just have to tell them that you said yes."

"Just come with me," Gabriella pleaded.

"Okay," Troy laughed.

Gabriella grabbed Troy's hand and the two went to the kitchen.

"Good morning, Gabi," Maria smiled.

"Um, guys?" Gabriella said nervously.

Both Angela and Maria looked up from the kitchen counter where they were making pancakes. Gabriella looked at Troy nervously who smiled at her. She held up her hand which now supported the engagement ring.

"You said yes?" Angela exclaimed throwing down the spoon and running over to hug her best friend.

"Yeah," Gabriella smiled hugging Angela.

"Congratulations, Gabi," Maria said hugging her daughter.

"Thanks, mom," Gabriella smiled.

"Thank you, Troy," Maria said hugging Troy.

Troy smiled at Maria.

"You'll be my maid of honour, right?" Gabriella asked Angela.

"Are you kidding me?" Angela asked. "Yes!"

"Who's your best man?" Gabriella asked.

"I didn't know who to choose between Chad and Jason," Troy said. "So, they played 'rock, paper, scissor' and Chad won. So, he's my best man and he didn't let me into his house. Apparently, they are planning something."

Angela laughed, "This is going to so awesome!"

"So, when is it going to be?" Maria asked.

"We just got engaged," Troy said. "We haven't really talked about anything, except that we want a beach wedding."

"I should tell your Aunt Julie," Maria said. "Everyone will want to come here for the wedding."

Gabriella smiled at Troy, happily and leaned against him. Maria went to make the phone call.

"So, I think we should have our honeymoon in Hawaii," Troy whispered into her ear.

Gabriella looked up at him in surprise.

"You remember?" she asked, softly.

"Of course, I do," he replied, smiling at her. "I remember everything. The day I met you, I recognized you from somewhere, but, I didn't know where or who you were."

Gabriella smiled and kissed him gently. Angela cleared her throat noisily and they broke apart.

"Sorry," Gabriella smiled, sheepishly.

"Let's go shopping," Angela said. "We need to get you a dress. And as your maid of honour, I need a dress as well."

"So, I guess we have to start planning a wedding," Gabriella said as Angela went to grab her coat. "Shall we get a wedding planner?"

"How about we hold off the whole thing till I get back from graduation?" Troy asked. "Jason and I'll be leaving the day after tomorrow and my parents will be going, too. And, I think like your mom, my mom's already calling my relatives, too."

Gabriella laughed, "I'd love to meet them all."

"They'll love you," Troy told her. "But, you see, my cousin's a wedding planner and the day she started her job she made me promise that she'd be the one to plan my wedding, so, would it be alright if she did it? I mean, she'd do it the way you want and she's fun to hang around. She's like my favourite cousin."

"She can do it," Gabriella said. "I don't mind."

"Gabriella! Come on!" Angela called.

"I'll see you later," Gabriella told Troy.

Gabriella gave Troy a quick kiss and hurried after Angela. Troy went over to the kitchen counter and started mixing the pancake mix after staring at it for a minute. Maria came in a minute later just as Troy was greasing the pan with some butter.

"Where are Gabriella and Angela?" Maria asked going towards the stove.

"They went shopping to get a dress," Troy explained pouring some of the mix onto the pan.

"I should've known," Maria smiled. "Let me finish those pancakes."

"I can do it," Troy replied.

"Troy, you're a guest here," Maria said. "I can't let you do that."

"In case you forgot, Maria," Troy said with a smile. "I'm marrying your daughter, so, I don't think I'm exactly a guest here. Besides, I'm pretty good at making pancakes."

"Okay, then," Maria laughed and sat down. "Do you make pancakes a lot?"

"Not lately," Troy replied. "My brother used to love them, so I made them for him a lot, but, after he died, I couldn't bring myself to do it."

"I'm sorry about that," Maria said.

"It's okay," Troy said, quickly.

"You'll stay for breakfast, right?" Maria asked.

"Yeah, sure," Troy smiled.

Troy finished making the pancakes quickly as Maria made some coffee. They sat down to eat at the table.

"Troy," Maria said, suddenly. "You won't leave her, right?"

Troy choked on the piece of pancake he had just put into his mouth. He swallowed some coffee and shook his head.

"Maria, relax," he smiled. "I won't leave her, I promise."

"I know," Maria sighed. "I'm just worried about what's going to happen to her when I'm gone."

"I can't promise about what's going to happen to her, then," he said. "I mean, she's going to be really upset, but, I won't leave her. I'll take care of her. You can trust me."

"Thank you," she smiled. "Enough of this. Let's change the subject. Where are you two going to live?"

"I don't know," Troy said. "I doubt Gabriella is going to want to leave you, but, well, after getting married and her staying here and me at my house; I'm not sure how that's going to work."

"Married couples don't live in different houses, Troy," Maria said with a laugh.

"I know," Troy smiled. "But, honestly, I don't think we're like normal couples. I mean, we're engaged two days after becoming a couple and we only became a couple after four years of fighting with our feelings."

"You're right," she laughed. "Well, if it helps you're more than welcome to live here. I mean, it'll belong to Gabriella after I'm gone and I won't be around too long to bother you two."

Troy looked at his pancakes not knowing what to say. Like Maria, he was worried about Gabriella and what would happen to her when Maria died, too.

"Troy, it's okay," Maria said. "Gabriella will have more than a year to get used to the fact that I'm dying."

"Maria, I don't think people can get used to something like that," he said. "I had quite some time with my brother being in a coma and everything, and after a month of him being in a coma, the doctors told us that there was no hope in him living. But, we kept him connected to the machines because we wanted him alive. He died naturally in the end, but, the thing is, I had enough time to get used to the idea, but, I kept hoping that some miracle would occur and he would wake up. And, I'm pretty sure Gabriella is hoping that you would get better."

"I'm sorry about your brother, Troy," Maria said. "But, Gabriella knows that I'm going to die and that the maximum time I have is eighteen months."

Troy shrugged as the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," he offered and she nodded.

Troy went to open the door. Jason was waiting there.

"Hey, man," he said. "Where's Angela?"

"Shopping for dresses," he said as the two boys went to the kitchen.

"Come join us, Jason," Maria smiled.

"Oh, pancakes!" Jason exclaimed. "Don't mind if I do."

"He loves pancakes almost as much as my brother did," Troy grinned.

Jason grabbed a plate and a fork and sat down next to Troy as Maria laughed. Troy's cell phone started ringing. He looked at the Caller ID, but, it was an unknown number.

"Excuse me," he told Maria and Jason and answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Hello," said a man's voice on the phone. "Is this Troy Bolton?"

"Yes, who's this?" Troy asked.

"My name is Scott Travers," the voice said. "I'm the assistant coach for the LA Lakers. I assume you have heard of them?"

"Of course, I've heard of the Lakers," Troy said. "But, why are you calling me?"

"Your coach at Berkley – Coach Durham – is a good friend of Coach Davis," Scott answered. "Coach Davis is –"

"The coach for the Lakers," Troy finished. "I know. I'm a fan."

"Well, we don't usually call players who aren't playing basketball professionally, but, Coach Durham told Coach Davis that you're an extraordinary player," Scott said. "And, he showed some footage of your last game to us and we were very impressed."

"Thank you," Troy said, not knowing exactly where this was going. He was determined not to get his hopes up. He had also caught the attention of Jason and Maria and they were both staring at him listening to his every word.

"We would like to set up a meeting with you and talk about you playing for us next season," Scott said. "We have an opening in our team for a point guard."

"Are you serious?" Troy asked. "That'd be great."

"Is it possible for you to be in Los Angeles by Saturday?" Scott asked.

"Yes," Troy said, immediately.

"Great," Scott said. "We'll see you Saturday morning at 10 am in the Lakers official gym."

"Thank you," Troy said. "I'll be there."

"We look forward to seeing you, Troy," Scott said before he hung up.

"What is going on?" Jason demanded as soon as Troy clicked off the phone.

"I might be the new point guard for the Lakers," Troy said, still staring at the phone.

"What?" Jason yelled jumping up and shaking Troy's shoulders. "Dude, this is huge, man! You're not pulling my leg because they're my favourite team, are you?"

"No," Troy said, grinning slowly as the news sank in. "That was Scott Travers, the assistant coach and they want meet to me in LA by next Saturday."

"Dude, our graduation is on Friday," Jason said. "We can go there from Berkley. And please tell me that you're taking me with you, man."

"Yeah, definitely dude," Troy grinned. "You and Chad are coming with me."

"Congratulations, Troy," Maria smiled.

"It's not a sure thing yet," Troy said.

"Dude, you have to tell your parents," Jason said as they heard the front door open.

"Dude, I have to tell Gabriella," he said at the same time, not hearing what Jason was saying.

"We're home," they heard Gabriella call.

"Ella!" Troy exclaimed jumping up and running towards the door.

"Whoa!" Jason exclaimed. "He doesn't care about telling his parents. He just wants to tell Gabriella."

Maria smiled as Jason followed Troy. Troy ran into the hall and grabbed Gabriella kissing her passionately.

"Troy!" Angela exclaimed. "Minimum PDA, please!"

"Guess who just called me!" Troy exclaimed happily ignoring Angela.

"I don't know," Gabriella said, smiling to see Troy so excited. "Who called?"

"Scott Travers!" Troy exclaimed as Jason and Maria appeared.

"That's great," Gabriella smiled.

"You have no idea who he is, right?" Troy said, with a smile.

Gabriella shook her head as Angela looked clueless. Maria laughed.

"Come on," Jason groaned. "Don't you guys watch basketball?"

"Not really," Angela replied.

"He's the assistant coach for the Lakers," Troy explained to Gabriella. "They want to talk to me about playing for them next season."

"Troy, that's awesome!" Gabriella exclaimed hugging her excited fiancé.

"Thanks," Troy smiled. "They want to meet me on Saturday, in LA. You'll come with me, right?"

Gabriella glanced at Maria who nodded.

"Yeah, I'll go with you," Gabriella smiled.

"Great," he grinned. "I'm going home to tell my parents, now. My dad will be so excited."

"I doubt anyone can be more excited than you are, right now," Angela commented. "You're like a five-year-old who had too much sugar."

"Very funny, Angela," Troy grinned. "But, I have a right to be excited!"

"Yeah," Jason said. "It's the Lakers, dude!"

Jason and Troy slapped high five.

"Okay, I'll see you guys later," Troy said and then he grinned at Maria. "And, don't worry, Maria. I'll take good care of her when we're in LA."

"I know you will," Maria smiled.

"Bye," Troy grinned and he gave Gabriella a kiss on the cheek and ran out of the house.

"Well, I guess this changes everything," Angela said.

"What do you mean?" Gabriella asked her.

"Well, if Troy makes the team, that means he'd have to move to LA, right?" Angela said and Gabriella's face fell as she realized what Angela was saying.

"Don't worry, Gabi," Jason said. "He's not going to leave you. He'll ask you to move to LA with him. Or he can split time between two places by being in LA during the season and being here for the rest of the year. But, if you don't like being away from him, he probably wouldn't take up the offer. I was with him when he got drunk every night in college, so I know that he'd put his career on hold for you."

"No," Gabriella said. "He has to go. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for him and he has to take it."

"But, what about you?" Angela asked. "Are you going to go with him?"

"I don't know yet," Gabriella replied.

"Gabi," Maria said. "It's okay if you go with him. I'll be fine. I talked to your Aunt Julie and she's going to move in with me."

"But, I can't leave, mom," Gabriella said.

"Gabi," Maria said taking her daughter's hands. "If I hadn't told you that I was sick, would you move with Troy to LA?"

"Probably, yes," Gabriella said. "But, you are sick, mom,"

"It doesn't matter," Maria said. "I've seen what happened to you when Troy left the last time and he won't leave this time if it means leaving without you. And you just said that he has to take this opportunity so that means, you're going with him."

"No," Gabriella said pulling her hands away from Maria. "I have to think about this."

With that, Gabriella hurried out of the door. She walked quickly down the road and only stopped when she came to the end of the block. She looked back to see if anyone was following her, and when she was certain that no one would come after her, she sat down on the bench near the bus stop. She needed to be alone. She sat there for some time, thinking about what was going to happen.

"Gabi?" a familiar voice asked and Gabriella looked up to see Lucas walking towards her.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said. "I saw you sitting here. Is everything okay?"

"That's none of your business," Gabriella said getting up.

"Don't leave on my account," Lucas said, quickly. "I'm not here to stay."

"That's okay," Gabriella said. "I'm going to see Troy anyway, so…"

"Whoa, what's that?" Lucas exclaimed seeing the ring on Gabriella's hand. "Did he propose to you?"

"Yeah," Gabriella said, slowly, as she stared at the ring on her finger.

"You don't seem happy," Lucas observed.

"I am happy," Gabriella told him. "There's just a lot going on, right now."

"Yeah, I heard about your mom," he said. "I'm sorry."

"Thanks," Gabriella said and started walking down the street towards the direction of Troy's house.

"So, when's the wedding?" Lucas asked falling into step beside her.

"We haven't decided yet," she answered. "Like I said before, there's a lot going on, with Troy, too."

Gabriella walked towards Troy's house, making no acknowledgement of the fact that Lucas was walking beside her.

"Gabriella, I really am sorry," Lucas said as they turned around the corner to Troy's road.

Gabriella did not say anything. They saw Troy come out of the house and head towards his car.

"Troy!" she called.

Troy looked around and saw Gabriella. His face broke into a smile as he jogged over to her. He caught her in his arms and dipped her taking her by surprise. He kissed her and then lifted her back up, ignoring Lucas.

"Hi," he grinned, stupidly.

Gabriella giggled to see him so excited. She leaned against him as Troy placed his hand on her waist.

"Hey, Troy," Lucas said. "Congratulations on the engagement."

"Thanks," Troy said. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw Gabriella sitting at the bus stop and followed her here after that," he answered. "She ignored me for most of the way."

"Well, do you blame her?" Troy asked.

"I'll see you guys around," Lucas said, knowing that he was not wanted there.

As Lucas walked away, Troy kissed Gabriella passionately, lifting her up and spinning her around as he did so.

"Troy," Gabriella said as they finally broke apart for air. "Can we talk?"

That was when Troy saw that Gabriella was worrying about something. His smile faded a bit.

"What's wrong?" he asked, immediately.

"What's going to happen to us?" she asked. "I mean, if you make the team, you're going to have to move to LA, right?"

"Oh," Troy said, realizing what Gabriella was on about. "I hadn't thought about that. You could come with me."

"I can't leave my mom, right now," Gabriella said. "Not when she has so little time left."

"I could always stay here with you, then," Troy said slinging his arm over her shoulder as they walked down the road.

"You will not do that, Troy!" Gabriella said, sharply. "I'd never be able to live with myself if you did that."

"Ella," Troy said, kissing her head. "I can't be away from you again. And, if joining the Lakers means that we're going to be so far apart, I won't go."

"No, Troy, stop!" Gabriella exclaimed pulling away from him and facing him. "You will go to LA this Saturday and I'll go with you and you are going to join the Lakers."

"Ella," Troy began.

"Troy, you are not going to put your career on hold for me," Gabriella said. "We'll figure something out. Jason said that you can split time between LA and Albuquerque. He said that you can be in LA for the season and you can be here for the rest of the year."

"Oh, yeah," Troy said, smiling slowly. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Troy, we can do this," Gabriella said as he took her hand in his.

"I know we can," he told her softly. "This is us, remember? We'll be okay."

Gabriella smiled at Troy. He led her into his house.

"Come on," he said leading her to the kitchen where his parents were. "It's time you met my parents."

"I've met your parents," Gabriella reminded him, laughing.

"Yeah, but, you were just a friend back then," he said. "This changes things."

Gabriella laughed at him as they entered the kitchen together. Jack was reading the newspaper and Lucille was reading a recipe in a cookbook.

"Mom, dad," Troy said and they both looked up. "I want you to meet my fiancée, Gabriella Montez."

"Troy," Jack said looking surprised. "We've met Gabriella."

"Come on, dad," Troy groaned as Lucille and Gabriella laughed. "Go along with me. I haven't introduced you guys to someone saying that she's my fiancée. This is a onetime thing."

"Oh," Jack said and got up. "In that case, it's very nice to meet you, Gabriella. You can call me Jack. And, this is my wife Lucille."

"It's nice to meet you both," Gabriella smiled as Lucille gave her a hug.

"Welcome to the family," Lucille smiled.

"So, what's the plan for you two?" Jack asked.

"We're going to Berkley for graduation and then go to LA from there," Troy said. "We come back, plan a wedding, get married and…"

Troy's voice trailed away as he thought about what would come next.

"And, what?" Jack asked.

"That's about as far as we've thought," Troy said. "And, if I make the team, I'll split time here and in LA."

"Okay, okay, that's all just great," Lucille said impatiently. "But, what about grandchildren?"

Troy glanced at Gabriella. She pretended that she did not see him looking and suddenly became very interested in the pictures which were on the refrigerator.

"I don't know," he said at last. "Just back off on the grandchildren thing, okay? We haven't started talking about babies."

"Well, you're my son," Lucille said. "And, you two better start having kids soon. I want to have grandchildren while I'm still young enough to spoil them."

Troy just rolled his eyes and grabbed Gabriella's hand.

"Come on," he said. "I'll show you the rest of the house."

"You've just given them something to talk about," they heard Jack tell Lucille as they left the kitchen.

"You've seen my room," Troy said as they went upstairs. "I'll show you Michael's room. It's not much, because my mom and dad put everything into boxes."

Gabriella just nodded as Troy showed her the room. It was quite similar to Troy's room, but, this room had boxes all over the place and Troy's room had furniture.

"And, that's my parents bedroom," Troy said pointing a door at the end of the hall. He was trying to avoid talking about kids.

"Troy," Gabriella said, suddenly. "Your dad's right. We need to talk."

Troy looked at Gabriella and saw the seriousness in her eyes. He led her to his room and shut the door behind him. Gabriella went and sat on the bed. Troy sat down next to her. There was a tension between them and Troy got up again. He walked over to his desk and leaned against it, staring at Gabriella, who was looking anywhere except him.

"I like your room," Gabriella said, trying to break the silence between them and Troy just stared at her pointedly.

"Ella," Troy sighed as he dragged his desk chair to the bed and sat in front of Gabriella. "Just get it out. Tell me whatever you want to say."

"Do you want to have a baby?" she asked, not being able to look at Troy.

Having a baby was something Gabriella had wanted for a long time and now, she had found the man she wanted to have a baby with, but, she was not sure that he wanted to have a baby with her.

"Ella," Troy began.

Gabriella's eyes snapped to Troy's. She saw the answer clearly in his eyes.

"You don't want to have a baby," she said, softly.

"It's not that," Troy said. "I do want to have a baby with you. In fact, I want to have many babies with you, but, I just think we can wait a bit. Everything doesn't have to go in a rush. I mean, I know that you want your mom there when you have a baby and get married, and I want to marry you so we can make one of those things work, but, I'm not sure I'm ready to have a baby."

Gabriella nodded. She was grateful for all that Troy was doing for her and loved him for trying to keep her happy all the time. If making Troy happy meant that she could not be a mother for a year or two, then, be it. She could wait till he was ready.

"I'm sorry, Ella," Troy said, desperately knowing that she was upset.

"Troy, it's okay," Gabriella said. "I just wanted to know how you feel about starting a family."

"Ella," Troy said. "Remember my bucket list? I want to marry you and start a family with you, but, I'm just not ready to start a family. I love you and I know that one day in our future, you'll come telling me that you're pregnant and I'd be thrilled. But, not right now. And, besides, if things work out with the Lakers, I won't be here during the season time and I want to be there for you when you come and tell me that you're pregnant with our child."

Gabriella smiled at Troy. She knew that he loved her and she was crazy about him and that was all that mattered to her. She leaned forward and kissed him. Troy deepened the kiss as Gabriella grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him towards her. He got up from the chair without breaking their kiss and fell onto the bed with Gabriella underneath him.

Troy kissed the side of her neck as she tugged at his shirt indicating that he wanted it off. Troy continued to kiss her neck, ignoring the tugs on his shirt. Finally, Gabriella just slid her hands underneath his shirt and ran her fingers down his chest.

All of a sudden, the door opened.

"Whoa!" Jack exclaimed and shut the door again as Troy rolled off Gabriella and fell onto the floor.

Troy felt sick as he realized what had just happened. Gabriella was sitting up on the bed, staring at the door.

"That did not just happen," Troy whispered to himself.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Troy called, nervously from the floor.

Jack walked in and laughed at the sight in front of him. Troy sitting on the floor with his hair messed up looking slightly green and Gabriella sitting on the bed staring at Jack as though she was a toddler being punished.

"I guess I should've knocked before," he chuckled. "Gabriella, would you like to stay for lunch?"

"I'd love to," Gabriella replied. "Thank you."

"Great," Jack smiled. "Any requests?"

Gabriella just shook her head. Troy raised his hand slowly from his spot on the floor and both Gabriella and Jack looked at him.

"Can we not mention this ever again?" he asked and Jack just laughed and left the room.

Gabriella sat on the floor next to Troy. Troy was still staring at the door. He pulled her onto his lap and buried his head in her hair and groaned. Gabriella laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck hugging him as she played with his hair. Troy relaxed when he felt her arms around his neck. He loved it when she hugged him like that. He looked at her and pressed a soft kiss against her lips.

"Are you upset about the baby thing?" he asked her rubbing her back.

"I can wait until you're ready," she told him.

"I really am sorry, Ella," he told her.

"It doesn't matter, Troy," Gabriella said, softly. "Besides, with you here next to me, I can't be upset."

Troy smiled and kissed her gently. Gabriella responded by deepening the kiss almost immediately. She slipped her hands under his shirt and ran her fingers down his chest.

"Ella, don't," Troy mumbled against her lips. "My parents…"

Gabriella did not seem to hear him. As her fingers brushed against his belt buckle, Troy felt a bulge in his pants. He broke off the kiss quickly. Gabriella was feeling horny and she continued to kiss the side of his neck.

"Ella, stop," Troy said.

Even though he was telling her to stop he could not stop his own hands as they went under her shirt. All of a sudden, Troy pulled away from her sharply hitting his head on the bedside table behind him. He groaned and rubbed his head.

"Ella, you can't do that to me!" he whispered, urgently. "My parents are downstairs and I can't go down to them with an erection."

Gabriella looked down at the huge tent in his pants and giggled. She loved it how she was able to turn him on so easily.

"I want you, Troy," she said, as she stroked him through his pants. "But, we can't do it here, and we can't do it at my place…"

"Okay," Troy gasped as Gabriella undid the belt buckle and slipped her hand inside his pants and grasped his cock. "This is what we're going to do. We're going to switch off our phones and go to a hotel."

Gabriella began moving her hands up and down his cock.

"Ella," he moaned as she moved her hands faster.

"We're going to go to a hotel and what?" she asked slowing her actions.

"We're going to go to a hotel and get a room and have sex all day and all –" Troy's voice broke off as Gabriella quickened her pace again.

She moved her hand faster and faster and felt Troy grow bigger.

"Night," Troy moaned as he came.

"I like that plan," Gabriella grinned taking her hand out of his pants and licking it clean. "And, you taste good. Maybe I'll give you a blowjob later."

"You're going to kill me, Ella," Troy said as he finally caught his breath.

Gabriella just chuckled. She got up from Troy's lap and Troy went to the bathroom to clean himself up.

"We're going, now!" he declared walking out of the bathroom. "We're not going to stay for lunch."

Gabriella laughed at Troy's eagerness and followed him downstairs. Jack smirked at them as they went to the kitchen.

"We can't stay for lunch," Troy said.

"Why not?" Lucille asked.

"We're going out," Troy said. "I'll see you guys later."

Before his parents could ask any more questions, Troy dragged Gabriella out of the house.

"Can we stop by my place first?" Gabriella asked as they got into the car. "I want to get a few things."

"Sure," Troy shrugged.

Troy drove down to Gabriella's house. He waited in his car while Gabriella went inside. She returned a minute later with a bag and got into the car.

"What's in there?" Troy asked as he backed the car out of the driveway.

"Just some clothes," she replied. "I have a feeling I'm going to need them."

"You may be right," Troy grinned.

"I'm glad we're doing this," Gabriella said. "I need to get away from all the madness."

"Me, too," Troy said taking her hand in his and kissing it gently.

Troy sped down the road and they drove to the nearest hotel they could find. They checked in and when Troy got the key, they got into the elevator together. Troy grabbed her and kissed her passionately pushing her back against the elevator. The elevator came to a stop and they broke apart. They got out and headed to the room. Troy opened the door and as soon as they were inside, he closed it and grabbed Gabriella kissing her roughly. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as Troy pushed her back against the wall.

"Do you have another shirt in that bag?" Troy asked as he fumbled with the buttons on her blouse.

"Yeah," Gabriella gasped as Troy started sucking on her neck.

"Is this a special one?" he asked her.

"No," she moaned as Troy continued to suck on her neck.

When Troy heard Gabriella's answer, he ripped off her shirt and kissed his way down to her breasts which were still covered in her bra. Troy felt around the back the bra for a strap, but, he couldn't find one.

"What the hell?" he muttered.

"It opens from the front," Gabriella told him.

Troy watched as Gabriella unhooked her bra. She pushed Troy's head towards her breasts and he took one of them in her mouth sucking on it hard, making Gabriella moan loudly.

"Troy," she said, running her fingers through his hair. "Bed…"

Troy's phone started vibrating in his pocket as he carried Gabriella to the bed. He fell back onto the bed with Gabriella straddling him. She pulled his phone out of his pocket and gave it to him.

"Hello?" Troy said as Gabriella started unbuckling his belt.

"Hey, man," he heard Jason say over the phone. "Listen, I wanted to talk to you about –"

"Dude, I'm kind of in the middle of something," Troy said as he lifted his hips up so that Gabriella could pull off his jeans. "I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

"Tomorrow?" Jason asked as Gabriella stroked the tent in his boxers, slowly.

"Yeah," Troy said biting his tongue so that he would not make a noise that Jason should not hear. "Tell my parents I won't be home tonight."

"Troy, where are you?" Jason asked.

"Later, dude!" Troy said and hung up, quickly.

He switched off his cell phone and sat up on the bed.

"Seriously, you're going to kill me!" Troy exclaimed kissing Gabriella.

"Take off your shirt," Gabriella said, ignoring Troy's comment.

Troy pulled off his shirt and undid the button and zip in Gabriella's jeans. He lowered it and she kicked it off. Troy stroked her through her panties which were soaked.

"Troy," Gabriella said, tugging at his boxers struggling to remove it while sitting on his lap. "Enough with the foreplay. I need you, now!"

Troy grinned and pulled off his boxers and Gabriella's panties. He was about to flip them over when Gabriella grabbed his cock and guided it into her opening. Troy did nothing and just stared at her as she started grinding on him. At that moment, Gabriella just wanted to cum and did not care that Troy was just staring at her.

All of a sudden, Gabriella was flat on her back. Troy pulled out of her until the tip of his cock was in her. Then, he slammed into her as hard as he could. Gabriella arched her back in pleasure. Troy continued this action going faster as Gabriella tightened around his cock.

"Troy!" Gabriella shrieked as the pleasure took over her.

Gabriella was struggling to catch her breath after that powerful orgasm, but, Troy continued to thrust into her.

"Troy," she panted.

"I love you," Troy mumbled as he continued his movements faster than before.

Finally Troy came, spilling his seed into her. He pulled out of her and fell back onto the bed next to her. Both of them were breathing heavily. They lay there together for a few minutes before Gabriella got up and headed towards the bathroom.

"Where're you going?" Troy asked watching as her hips moved while she walked.

"I was thinking of round two," Gabriella smirked before entering the bathroom.

Troy grinned and jumped out of the bed. He followed Gabriella to the bathroom. Gabriella was bent over by the tub, filling it with water and making bubbles. Troy leaned against the door frame and watched the view with a smirk on his face. Gabriella was naked and her ass was in the air. Her nipples were visible as she bent over the tub. Within seconds, Troy was hard again. Troy walked over to her and stood behind her, rubbing her back as she poured some soap into the tub.

"Your round two can be round three," Troy told her and then, with one swift move, he was in her again.

Gabriella gasped in pleasure. The bottle of soap slipped out of her hands and into the tub as Troy started thrusting into her.

"Oh, Troy!" Gabriella shrieked, clutching the edge of the tub as she neared to her climax.

They came at the same time and Troy had to hold her steady because her legs were shaking slightly from the orgasm. He pulled out of her and she fell to the floor, breathing heavily. Troy sat down beside her, massaging her breasts as she tried to catch her breath.

"It's not even noon yet and I've cum twice," Gabriella said, hugging Troy close to her so that her nipples were rubbing against Troy's chest.

"Three times for me," Troy said, grinning. "I think we should make it even."

Troy pushed a finger through her wet opening. Gabriella's hips twitched as Troy added another finger.

"Fuck, Troy!" Gabriella moaned, loudly.

With three fingers in her, Troy began to move them in and out of her. Gabriella leaned down and rubbed her clitoris as Troy sucked on her nipple. She came quickly and Troy licked his fingers clean.

"I wonder what we'd be like once we're married," Troy said, thoughtfully as he got up and lifted Gabriella into the tub. "I mean, this is us just because we're engaged."

Gabriella giggled as Troy got into the tub beside her. Troy leaned against the back of the tub as Gabriella settled between his legs.

"Your mom said we could live at your place once we're married," Troy said. "I figured you'd want to be close to her."

"Yeah," Gabriella nodded. "I want to stay at home."

"I guess we'll just have to come here once in a while when we want days like this," Troy said stroking her arm. "Somehow I can't imagine having sex with your mom in the same house."

Gabriella laughed. They stayed in the tub for some time enjoying each other's company and finally, they got out of the tub after making love again. They spent the rest of the day in the hotel room, ordering room service when they got hungry and constantly making love.

The next morning, Troy drove Gabriella home after breakfast. Then, he headed home, too.

"Where have you been?" Lucille demanded as soon as he walked in through the front door.

"I was out," Troy said.

"All night?" Lucille asked.

"Mom, I'm twenty one," Troy said. "I don't have a curfew."

"You still live in this house and if you're not going to come home at night you're supposed to call us," Lucille said. "You had your phone switched off and we didn't hear from you since you left yesterday morning with Gabriella."

"Gabriella," Jack said. "Let me guess. You were with her."

"We just needed to get away from all the craziness," Troy said. "With Maria being sick and trying to decide where we're going to live and with the Lakers calling and trying to figure out how our relationship is going to work if I join the Lakers, it's been crazy. We just needed some time to ourselves without having everyone else's thoughts being pushed into our decisions."

"Just call us next time," Jack said.

"Yeah," Troy said heading upstairs.

"So, how many rounds did you have?" Jason asked when Jack and Lucille were out of the hearing range.

"Dude, we started counting, but, we lost track," Troy grinned. "We definitely had four rounds before noon!"

"That's my boy!" Jason exclaimed slapping high five with Troy.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Sorry I haven't updates in like almost half a year or something! :( But, here's another chapter. Hope you like it and review please :) I love the emails I get when you do. Haha**


	14. Chapter 14

Troy and Jason went to Berkley with Angela, Gabriella, Lucille and Jack. Chad was coming with them because he was going to LA with Troy. Maria's sister, Julie had come to Albuquerque and moved in with Gabriella and Maria.

Once the graduation ceremony was over, girls surrounded Troy asking what his plans were. He had disappeared right after the game and with him being the captain, he was quite popular. Gabriella watched as Troy tried to leave the pack of girls with jealousy etched over her face. Jason saw this and laughed.

"Relax, Gabi," he said.

"Do you not see all those girls when you ask me to relax?" Gabriella asked him.

"Okay, okay," Jason said. "I'll get him out of there."

"This is just like in high school," Chad said. "I dragged him out of the bunch of crazy girls, because, he's just too polite to ignore them and walk away."

"Okay, ladies," Jason said as walked up to Troy and the girls. "Here's the thing. You need to back off right now."

"Why?" a slutty blonde girl asked.

"Because, he's not single!" Jason exclaimed. "He's off the market! For good! He's engaged! He's getting married! And he's not interested in any one of you!"

All the girls were staring at Troy as Jason dragged him towards Gabriella.

"Thanks, man," Troy said.

"Don't thank me, yet," Jason said. "You still have to face a very jealous girlfriend. If you survive, come thank me, alright?"

Troy's eyes widened when he saw the look on Gabriella's face.

"I'm sorry," he said, sheepishly. "I can't get rid of them as easily as Jason and Chad does."

"Yeah, well, I guess you should get used to it," Gabriella said. "You'll probably be off making out with a girl each night once you start playing for the Lakers and move to LA."

"What?" Troy exclaimed. "You know I wouldn't do that to you."

"Is this girl bothering you, Troy?" the same slutty blonde girl came and asked, touching his arm.

"No, she isn't," Troy said to the blonde girl as he moved away from her.

Gabriella rolled her eyes and turned to walk away. Troy grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him, making their bodies meet.

"She's my fiancée!" Troy declared and he kissed her passionately.

"So, it's true?" a redhead asked. "What Jason said about you not being single?"

"Yeah," Troy said. "I'm getting married."

Troy held up Gabriella's hand which held the ring. All the girls stared at it and a smile returned to Troy's face.

"Come on. I want to thank Coach Durham for calling the Lakers," Troy told Gabriella. "And, I want you to meet him."

Gabriella nodded as Troy grabbed her hand and led her towards the teachers.

"Coach Durham," Troy said seeing his coach.

"Troy," Coach Durham smiled.

"I wanted to thank you," Troy said. "Scott Travers called from the Lakers. I'm meeting them tomorrow."

"You're welcome, son," Coach Durham said. "I thought maybe this will get you back on your feet properly even if you don't get that girl you told me about."

"About that," Troy said with a smile. "Coach Durham, I'd like you to meet Gabriella Montez. She's my fiancée."

"Fiancée?" Coach Durham asked shaking Gabriella's hand. "You move fast, boy."

"I got lucky," Troy grinned.

"It's nice to meet you, Gabriella," Coach Durham smiled.

"Nice to meet you, too," Gabriella smiled.

"Hey, I'll be right back," Troy said, seeing the basketball team gathered by the stage and gesturing him to join them.

"You're lucky, Gabriella," Coach Durham said as they watched Troy jog towards them. "He's a great person."

"Yeah, I know," she smiled. "He is pretty awesome."

"He's talked about you a lot," Coach Durham said. "And, I've heard him talk about you in a way that even married couples don't talk about each other. It's like his face lights up whenever he mentions you."

Gabriella stared at Coach Durham in surprise. By now, the team was gesturing Coach Durham to come over. They were going to take a picture.

"Oh, they want me in the picture," Coach Durham said.

Gabriella followed Coach Durham towards the team. Jason was taking the picture. There were some girls gathered by, too.

"That one was great," Jason said snapping a picture.

"How about one picture with your girls?" Coach Durham asked the team.

"Yeah, that'd be great," Jason said. "When we come back for the reunion, we can look at the picture and see how many couples are still together."

Everyone laughed. The girls who had been watching went towards the team and Gabriella realized that they were all in relationships with someone from the team.

"Come on," Troy said taking Gabriella's hand.

"But, I didn't even go to your school," Gabriella protested.

"Half of these girls didn't," Troy smiled.

Troy stood with his hand wrapped around Gabriella's waist. Everyone else gathered around them.

"So, I take it you're the famous Gabriella Montez?" one boy asked.

"She is," Troy grinned. "Gabriella, this is David."

"Hey," David smiled as Gabriella smiled back at him.

"Ready?" Jason asked and snapped the picture.

Troy introduced Gabriella to the team. Afterwards, Troy and Jason celebrated with Gabriella, Angela, Jack, Lucille, Chad and Jason's parents. That evening, everyone except for Jason's parents, were on a plane to Los Angeles.

* * *

><p>On the flight, Jason and Angela sat together. Jack and Lucille also sat together. Chad sat with Troy and Gabriella. They were in three adjoining seats. Gabriella sat by the window and Troy sat in the middle with Chad by the aisle.<p>

"I can't believe I'm going to LA," Gabriella said, excitedly. "Do you know how many shopping malls there are in LA?"

"Yeah, dude!" Chad said, just as excitedly. "And, there are like at least ten places where you can get _great_ food in each one of those shopping malls!"

Troy stared at his girlfriend and then at his best friend.

"I thought we were going there for me," he said.

"We are," Chad said, patting his shoulder. "But, there's no reason why _we_ can't enjoy LA while you do the work stuff."

"You mean you're just going to eat instead of coming and meeting the Lakers?" Troy asked Chad, amused.

"No, dude!" Chad exclaimed. "I'm coming with you. Screw the food!"

Troy and Gabriella laughed at Chad. Troy and Chad spent most of the time on the plane playing video games on the tiny screens in front of them. On the other hand, Gabriella read a book. It was a long flight and most of the passengers were asleep. Troy was way too excited to sleep and Chad was even more excited than him.

"Okay, dude," Troy said rubbing his eyes after a long time of video games. "I can't play anymore. My eyes hurt like hell."

"Yeah," Chad said, blinking quickly.

Troy glanced over at Gabriella who was fast asleep. The book lay open on her lap. Troy gestured for the airhostess to come over.

"Can we have a blanket, please?" he asked.

"Sure," the airhostess smiled and went to get a blanket.

When the airhostess returned with the blanket, Troy thanked her.

"I have no idea how girls can read so much," Chad said amazed at the thickness of Gabriella's book.

"Yeah," Troy chuckled opening the blanket and shaking it out slightly. "And, they probably have no idea why we don't mind playing games so much that our eyes hurt."

Chad shrugged and watched as Troy took Gabriella's book and put it on the floor near Gabriella's bag. Then, he threw the blanket over her. He stared at her for a few minutes and Chad watched him.

"You're serious, then?" Chad asked. "You're really getting married?"

"Yeah," Troy grinned. "I'm getting married."

"So, do I have to do anything other than throwing a bachelor party while I'm your best man?" Chad asked.

"Well, you have to write your best man speech," Troy replied. "And, well, if by any chance I freak out about getting married; you have to talk to me saying that it's the best thing for me."

"I don't know about the speech, dude," Chad said. "But, the other thing, I can definitely do."

"Don't worry, man," Troy said. "Just say what you think about me and Gabriella. That'll be your best man speech."

Chad just nodded and Troy laughed.

"I think you're more nervous than I am about the wedding," he said.

"You're probably right," Chad grinned.

Just then, Gabriella stirred in her sleep. She moved trying to get more comfortable.

"What's wrong?" Troy asked her, softly.

"Nothing," Gabriella replied.

"Okay, wait," Troy said.

Troy lifted the armrest between him and Gabriella. Gabriella watched him, sleepily.

"Come here," Troy said, putting an arm around her.

Gabriella snuggled close to Troy and fell asleep again, way more comfortable than she was before. After all, she was in Troy's arms. Troy looked down at her as she slept, absentmindedly stroking her arm.

"Dude, you're really crazy about her," Chad observed.

"Yeah," Troy said, softly not wanting to wake Gabriella up. "I guess I am."

The flight was not comfortable for Troy. Chad kept falling asleep with his hair in Troy's face as soon as Troy was about to doze off and Troy had to keep pushing Chad's head to the other side, but, within minutes, it would be once again, in Troy's face.

* * *

><p>They got to the hotel at two o'clock in the morning. Jack and Lucille had been in charge of booking the rooms. They had booked one room for themselves and two adjoining rooms. One room had three beds and the other had two.<p>

"This is LA and I know that you guys will want to have fun," Lucille said. "So, you guys can have adjoining rooms, but, girls and boys sleep in separate rooms."

Troy just nodded and carried his and Gabriella's bag to the room. He put Gabriella's bag in the girls' room and dropped his bag down to the floor near a bed in the boys' room. He was tired since unlike everyone else, he had not got any sleep on the plane. So, as Jason and Chad argued about who would get the bed by the balcony, Troy fell onto his bed on top of the covers and fell asleep almost immediately, fully clothed.

"Will you guys just shut up?" Angela asked walking into the room. "Troy's tired and he's asleep. And, you guys are yelling at the top of your voices."

"Troy, man!" Chad exclaimed jumping over the beds towards Troy's and hitting his back. "Wake up, dude!"

"Chad!" Gabriella exclaimed. "What are you waking him up for?"

"Hello!" Chad exclaimed. "Do you not know that we're in Los Angeles? We're supposed to have the time of our lives."

"Dude, what the hell?" Troy asked, pushing Chad away.

"Come on, man!" Chad pleaded. "Let's have some fun."

"Dude, we're staying here tomorrow night, too," Troy reminded him. "I won't let you sleep tomorrow night, but, please just shut the hell up and let me sleep tonight. In case you forgot, I'm meeting the Lakers tomorrow morning and if you want to come, you have to wake up on your own. I'm not waking you up."

"Dude!" Chad exclaimed at Jason. "What the hell did you wake Troy up for? You know we have to get up to meet the Lakers tomorrow!"

Jason rolled his eyes as the girls laughed. Troy shook his head and chuckled. Among the five of them, only Chad acted like a five-year-old. Gabriella went and sat down next to Troy. Angela went towards Jason who gave her a hug as they both looked at the view.

"Come on, guys!" Chad exclaimed. "I'm happy that you both have awesome girls, but, even I have an awesome girl by the name of Taylor McKessie and she's just not here right now, so, don't make me feel all left out."

"Alright, dude," Troy told him. "I won't make you feel left out."

"You're tired," Gabriella said as Chad went to the bathroom. "Go to sleep."

"Yeah," Troy said, lying back on the bed again.

"You're not going to change?" she asked, taking off his shoes for him.

"Nah," Troy said. "I don't think I'm moving from this bed until tomorrow. It is_ so_ comfortable. You should try it."

Troy grabbed Gabriella's hand and pulled her onto the bed next to him.

"And, now it's even more comfortable," Troy whispered into her ear.

"Gabi," Chad said as he walked out of the bathroom and saw her on Troy's bed. "You can't sleep here. Girls sleep in the other room."

"I know, Chad," Gabriella laughed getting up.

She kissed Troy's cheek and hurried into the other room.

"Dude, she's got you whipped," Chad commented.

"Shut up!" Troy said as he pulled off his sock and threw it at him.

Chad dodged it neatly and while Jason and Angela were staring outside, he jumped onto the bed by the balcony and lay on the bed pretending to be asleep. Jason looked at Chad and laughed as Angela also went to the other room.

"I see why you like him, Troy," Jason said. "You never get bored with him around."

"Yeah," Troy laughed. "But, it gets a bit annoying sometimes."

"Say what?" Chad exclaimed sitting up. "I'm not annoying."

Troy rolled his eyes at Chad. He closed his eyes and Gabriella came into his mind immediately. A few minutes later, he was fast asleep.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Troy woke him up when he felt a soft hand shake his shoulder. He opened his eyes and saw Gabriella kneeling beside his bed.<p>

"Good morning," she smiled.

"Morning," Troy said rubbing his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Half past eight," Gabriella replied. "I thought we could get breakfast together, before you go and see the Lakers."

"Yeah," Troy agreed. "I'll just take a shower, okay?"

"Sure," Gabriella smiled.

Troy got up and took a quick shower. He changed his clothes, pulling on one of his favourite blue shirts and together, hand-in-hand, Troy and Gabriella went downstairs to the restaurant for breakfast. Troy could not eat much. This was a change for him since he had a big appetite. The two sat at the table. Troy was picking on his food.

"It'll be alright, Troy," Gabriella said, taking his hand. "They're going to love you."

"What if they don't?" Troy asked.

"You're thinking negatively, Troy," she said. "Now, you have to eat."

"No, I can't eat," Troy said.

"Okay," Gabriella sighed. "How about a glass of juice?"

"Sure," Troy shrugged.

"Alright," she said, getting up. "I'll be right back."

Gabriella went to get a glass of juice as Chad appeared with Jason and Angela. Behind them were Jack and Lucille. Gabriella returned with the juice as they all sat down around the table.

"Nervous?" Jack asked Troy.

"He hasn't eaten anything," Gabriella said as Troy gulped down the orange juice.

"Great," Chad said. "All the more for me."

"Chad, it's a buffet," Gabriella said with a smile. "You can have as much as you want."

"Awesome," Chad said. "Come on, dude."

Chad and Jason headed over to the buffet with Angela trailing after them. After breakfast, they all piled into two cabs and went to the Lakers' gym.

As Troy walked inside, he could feel his insides turning. He was in the actual gym where his favourite team practiced and soon, he might be one of them. Behind him, Chad and Jason were talking excitedly. Gabriella stood beside him with their hands linked. Finally, a man appeared and walked over to them. Troy recognized him to be Coach Davis. Letting go of Gabriella's hand, he shook Coach Davis's hand.

"Troy Bolton," Coach Davis smiled. "I've been looking forward to meeting you after the way Durham talked about you."

"Thank you," Troy said, grinning. "I've been looking forward to this for quite a long time. I'm actually a fan."

"Good to know," Coach Davis replied. He gestured towards everyone behind Troy. "Is this your family?"

"Yeah," Troy said and showed Jack and Lucille. "These are my parents."

"Nice to meet you," Coach Davis said.

"You, too," Jack smiled shaking hands.

"And, this is Angela," Troy said pointing to Angela. "And, these are my best friends, Chad and Jason. They're both huge fans, like me."

"Nice to meet you all," Coach Davis said and they all nodded.

"This is Gabriella," Troy said showing him Gabriella.

"You're Troy's wife?" Coach Davis asked, seeing the ring. "That's quite a ring."

"Actually, I'm his fiancée," she replied, with a smile.

"Well, congratulations," Coach Davis smiled.

"Thanks," she smiled.

"Shall we get going?" Coach Davis asked.

"Sure," Troy answered.

Coach Davis showed them the locker rooms and the office. When they went back to the gym, the Lakers were there. Chad and Jason could not hide their excitement. They were whispering to each other excitedly, naming all the players.

"Sorry about that," Troy said, smiling at Chad and Jason's reaction.

"That's to be expected," Coach Davis said with a smile. "So, would you like to join our team?"

"It'd be an honour," Troy replied.

"Well, then, you better impress these guys," Coach Davis said, gesturing towards the team. "You're going to play with them, now, and if they approve of the way you play, you're in."

"Okay," Troy said.

"You can change in the locker room," Coach Davis said.

Troy nodded and as everyone else sat down on the bleachers, he went to change. He returned within a few minutes and Coach Davis introduced him to everyone.

"Guys, this is Troy Bolton," Coach Davis said. "I think he'd make an excellent point guard. You guys can decide if he's going to play with you next season."

They started the game and it was as if Troy was on fire. He was as good as the rest of the players. Maybe even better than some. He scored point after point. The game ended with Troy's team winning. It was close, but, they won. Troy shook hands with all the players.

"Great game, Bolton," Coach Davis said. "Go take a shower while they make their decision."

Troy headed towards the locker room. He took a shower and was back within minutes.

"Congratulations," Coach Davis said. "You made the team."

"Really?" Troy exclaimed as the team grinned at him. "Thank you!"

"We'll see how practices go and I declare the captain before season starts," Coach Davis said. "You'll need to be here in a few months for training. I'll let you know, alright?"

"Yeah," Troy said, grinning. "Thanks, Coach."

Troy jogged over to the bleachers, grinning all over his face. Gabriella hurried down the steps and launched herself at him before he could reach anyone else. Troy caught her and hugged her, spinning her around as he did so.

"Congratulations," she whispered. "I told you, you could do it."

"Thanks," Troy grinned, pulling away from her and hugging his parents.

"This calls for celebration," Chad said. "Let's go."

They spent the day site seeing and visiting some malls. They all had dinner with Jack and Lucille before retiring to their rooms.

"Jason, call room service," Troy said. "We're going to need some beers."

"How about something more fancy?" Chad asked.

"I don't have that much cash with me," Troy said. "And, we're going to be paying them now, because, I don't want my parents to pay for my beers."

"Makes sense," Jason said.

He called room service as Troy knocked on the door leading to the girls' room.

"You girls going to join us?" Troy called through the door.

"What's going on?" Angela asked opening the door with Gabriella by her side.

"We're celebrating," Chad said.

"I thought we already did that," Gabriella said.

"That was with my parents," Troy said pulling the girls into the room. "Now, we're going to celebrate our way."

"Beers going to be here in a few minutes," Jason said. "You girls ready to party?"

"Hell, yeah!" Angela exclaimed.

They stayed up half the night drinking and watching movies. They only woke up when Jack and Lucille came to wake them up in the morning.

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><p><strong>AN Please don't hate me because I realise I have not updated in over a year! Terrible, yes, I know. Many many apologies going from me to you! Hope you guys still enjoy the story. I promise, I'll try to be a bit more regular with my updates.**


	15. Chapter 15

They went back to Albuquerque on Sunday. Jason and Angela left a few days after, promising to come back in time for their wedding. Troy and Gabriella had set a date to get married in a month. They knew that it was fast, but it just felt right for both of them so they decided to go along with it. Maria and Lucille were excited about it and became close friends over it. Maria's sister, Julie came and moved in with Gabriella and Maria.

A few days after Jason and Angela left, Troy and Gabriella were sitting on the hammock outside in Gabriella's garden. Lucille, Maria and Julie were inside planning their wedding. Gabriella had been there as well until Troy showed up at her house and she had left the planning to spend some time with Troy. She was getting stressed out about it anyway. She wanted a small wedding with just her closest friends and family, but Lucille and Maria wanted to have a big party. She did not say much as she sat next to Troy on the hammock. Troy did not have to go to LA for another three months so Troy and Gabriella had some time together until he had to leave.

"Okay, Ella," Troy finally said after about ten minutes of silence. "Talk to me."

"They're planning our wedding," she answered.

"I know that," Troy said, not quite following her.

"_They _are planning _our _wedding," she repeated. "I thought my wedding was supposed to go the way I want it to go. Not the way they want it."

"And what sort of a wedding do you want?" Troy asked as he gently ran his fingers up and down her skin.

"They have got this long puffy dress for me in pink and white," she said. "They're planning on ordering a massive cake for our wedding and booking the town hall for it!"

"And that doesn't answer my question, Ella," he said. "But I can see where this is going. You don't want a wedding like that."

"No, I don't," Gabriella sighed. "I want a wedding with just our closest family members and friends. I don't want a long puffy dress, especially not one which is pink and white. I want one which is white and elegant, with a bit of purple in it. And, I want to get married on the beach. And as for the cake, I'm not going to make a big deal out of it, and this might sound weird, but I've always wanted to make my own cake."

"Ella, it's your wedding," Troy said, gently. "It should be the way you want it."

"Yeah, but I don't want to disappoint them," she replied.

"Okay, come on," Troy said, getting up and reaching out to take her hand.

"Where are we going?" she asked as he led him into the house.

"Mum," Troy called walking into the house. "Maria?"

"In the kitchen, Troy," Lucille called and Troy headed towards the kitchen with Gabriella.

"Troy, what are you doing?" Gabriella asked.

"We'd like to talk to you about this wedding," Troy said as Gabriella sat down next to her mum.

"What about it?" Lucille asked.

"You're planning this wedding the way you want it to be," Troy said. "Not the way we want it to be, and since it's our wedding, I think we should have a say in how it goes."

"Of course you should," Maria said. "I'm sorry, I didn't think of this before."

"How do you want the wedding to be?" Lucille asked.

"Let's see," Troy said looking at the table which was covered with stuff to do with their wedding. "Could we just start the whole thing over again?"

"Troy, I don't think we have enough time to plan a big wedding if we start over now," Lucille replied.

"But, that's just it!" Gabriella said. "We don't want a big wedding. I tried having a big wedding before, remember? It didn't turn out great and it wasn't even with a person I loved. This time, I'm in love with Troy and it doesn't matter to me how many people are at my wedding. I don't care if no one shows up as long as I'm married to him by the end of the day."

Troy smiled as he sat down next to her and took her hand. He took a piece of paper and wrote down eight names on it – Lucille, Jack, Maria, Julie, Chad, Taylor, Jason and Angela.

"If they were the only people there, I'd be happy," Troy said. "They're the only people who are still in my life, who matter to me. Add a few more people if Gabriella wants, but that's it for me."

"I'm fine with that list," Gabriella said, immediately.

"I'm sorry, we didn't realize that this was what you wanted," Julie said, finally.

"Can I tell you the way I see my wedding?" Gabriella said.

"Yeah, go on," Maria said.

"First of all, I do not see myself in that!" she exclaimed picking up a sheet which had a design of a dress in it. "I see it on the beach, just as the sunsets. All the people on this list are there. I'm wearing a simple dress and there are few chairs there; just enough for us. We make a little stage sort of thing for us to stand while we get married and I see Troy in a tux, waiting for me. I'm wearing a simple white dress with possibly a purple flowery hair band. The dress only comes up to my knees and as for the cake, I make it. I've always wanted to do that. But, none of it really matters. If you want a big wedding, you can have it, but I'd be happy with my wedding being as small as this."

"Gabi, if that's the way you want your wedding, that's the way we'll have it," Maria said with a smile. "I'm sure we can find a dress like that."

"I was looking online the other day," Gabriella said. "And, I found one which I really like."

"I believe everything's almost sorted then," Troy said getting up and walking towards a set of drawers which he knew that Maria kept bin bags in.

"Troy, what are you doing?" Lucille asked as he pulled out a bin bag and went to the table.

"We don't need all of this for me and Gabriella to get married," Troy said as he started putting everything in the bag. "So, unless you have someone else getting married, I think we should throw this away without leaving it out to make a mess and have all of you change your minds about us having a small wedding."

Gabriella laughed and Maria smiled to see her laughing. Troy winked at her as he put everything in the bag. He took it outside and as soon as he came back in, he headed towards the fridge.

"I'm hungry," he said, looking inside.

He caught sight of the trifle in the back of the fridge and his face lit up.

"Can we have the trifle, please?" he asked, excited.

Gabriella laughed as she got up and went towards him.

"I think that's tonight's dessert, Troy," she said. "We can go for a McDonald's and get a McFlurry if you want."

"But I want the trifle," Troy grumbled as Gabriella tried to pull him away from the fridge.

"Yeah, but I want a McFlurry," she pouted.

One look at Gabriella's pout and Troy knew that his argument was lost. He groaned as he shut the fridge.

"You need to stop pouting like that!" he exclaimed as he grabbed his keys from the table. "We'll be back in a bit."

"Troy, you can have some of the trifle now if you want," Maria said, amused at their behaviour.

"Yes!" he exclaimed and turned to go back to the fridge, when he saw Gabriella pouting again. "Or, not."

"Would you like to have dinner here tonight, Troy?" Maria said laughing. "You can have the trifle then."

"Yeah," Troy smiled and took Gabriella's hand, pulling her towards the door. "Let's get you your stupid McFlurry."

Gabriella grinned as she followed him outside.

"Thank you, Troy," she said kissing his cheek where she could reach him. "You're the best."

"I know," Troy said, cockily.

Gabriella smacked him before she got into the car.

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><p><strong>AN Thanks for reading guys. Leave a review if you like it:)**


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